Fiona McIntosh On Writing Commercial Historical Fiction

written on APRIL 25TH, 2016 under MY 3 TIPS, MY WRITING.

Fiona McIntosh is one of Australia’s prolific and favourite storytellers, selling worldwide in a variety of languages and across several genres. More recently, it’s been her historical romantic adventures which have captured the imagination of the general fiction audience.

Her most recent novel, The Perfumer’s Secret, is among eight major titles nominated for the 2016 Best General Fiction category in the Australian Book Industry Awards.

Fiona is married with twins. She lives in South Australia but roams the world to research her stories. Her new release for November 2016 is set in England’s York post WWI and is called The Chocolate Tin and her novel for 2017 is set in colonial India of the 1930s.

 In between writing blockbusters, Fiona hosts a series of masterclasses that are highly regarded by the industry as some of the best available anywhere and many of her students are now happily embedded with major publishers. Her How to Write Your Blockbuster has garnered genuine praise and is now selling in the US.

I first met Fiona at The Batesman Bay Writers’ Festival in June 2014. I spent every chance I got picking her brain and so when it came to choosing an author to segment this blog, Fiona was my natural first choice. Here she is with her 3 Tips on  writing good commercial historical fiction.

Fiona’s 3 Tips on Writing Historical Fiction.

1. Research, research, research and part of that research should be feet on the ground of the locations in your story.  Google is NOT enough!

2. You should anticipate spending most of your writing efforts in recreating the world of your era. This doesn’t happen simply because you can craft a ripping story.  This happens because you commit to educating yourself about your timeline, political landscape and the social norms of the day.

3. Understand the mindset of your characters in the right timeframe. Your characters shouldn’t display contemporary views. They can be ‘modern thinking’ but only for their time.

If interested in learning more about Fiona, you can connect with her on the following platforms:

Fiona McIntosh

McIntosh Books Pty Ltd

http://www.fionamcintosh.com

http://fionamcintoshmasterclasses.com

https://www.facebook.com/FionaMcIntoshAuthor

What did you think? Was the segment useful?

Do you have any suggestions for future topics?

I love to hear your thoughts. Leave your comments – praise, criticism or suggestions below.

As always, thank you for stopping by.

Banafsheh

YB Team

My 3 Tips On Presenting To A Kid Audience – Tristan Bancks

Tristan Bancks is one of Australia’s favourite children’s and teen authors.  His books include the My Life series, Mac Slater (Australia and US) and Two Wolves (On the Run in the US), a crime-mystery novel for middle-graders.

In 2015, Two Wolves won Honour Book in the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards and was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards. It also won the YABBA and KOALA Children’s Choice Awards. His most recent book is My Life & Other Exploding Chickens, a fourth book of weird-funny-gross, semi-autobiographical short stories. 

Before embarking on writing, Tristan enjoyed a successful career in acting and filmmaking – a handy skill when it comes to presenting to an audience. His regular posts on Youtube are testament to Tristan’s talent and enthusiasm in engaging with his audience.

I first met Tristan in 2014 when Your Bookshop accompanied him on a 2-day visit to Western Sydney schools. Since then, YB has been the bookseller at various events where Tristan has been a presenter. Impressed by Tristan’s genuine interest in the kids, and their reaction to him, I decided to ask Tristan his tips tips on presenting to a kid audience.

Here are Tristan’s 3 tips.

Three Tips on Presenting to a Kid Audience.

Make it Personal

Tell stories from your own life and how they relate to the book you’re speaking about. What’s your personal connection to the story? Did you write it in an interesting way? Did you get to meet or speak to fascinating people when researching your subject?

Share stories of your personal journey.

Make it Authentic

Kids know right away when someone is talking down to them or being inauthentic. They get that all the time from adults. So dig down into what truly fascinated you when writing the story. Share your genuine enthusiasm for it and that tends to get other people excited, too.

Make it Funny!

The fastest way to break down barriers between you and a child audience is to make it funny. Kids love it when adults are self-deprecating, too. Share a time when everything went wrong for you and, looking back, it seems humorous. Any funny stories from childhood that show that you understand what it feels like to be young?

Interested in learning more about Tristan Bankcks? Connect with him on the following platforms.

Blog / Site:    www.tristanbancks.com

Twitter:      www.twitter.com/tristanbancks

Instagram: www.instagram/tristanbancksbooks

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/tristanbancks

YouTube:    www.youtube.com/tristanbancks

What did you think? Did you find this segment useful?

Do you have any suggestions for future topics?

I love to hear your thoughts. Leave your comments – praise, criticism or suggestions below.

As always, thank you for stopping by.

Banafsheh

This blog first appeared on

Banafshehserov.com

My 3 Tips On Writing Historical YA – Frances Watts

Three tips on writing historical YA

Frances Watts’ bestselling picture books include Goodnight Mice! (illustrated by Judy Watson), the winner of the 2012 Prime Minister’s Award for Children’s Fiction; Kisses for Daddy (ill. David Legge); and 2008 Children’s Book Council of Australia award-winner Parsley Rabbit’s Book about Books (ill. David Legge). Frances is also the author of the fantasy/adventure series, the Gerander Trilogy, and the medieval Sword Girl series (ill. Gregory Rogers). Most recently she has written two YA novels: The Raven’s Wing, set in Ancient Rome (read a review by Read3R’z Re-Vu here) , and The Peony Lantern, set in nineteenth-century Japan.

Tip 1: Be prepared to develop an obsession!

I didn’t know much about the world of the samurai before I started researching The Peony Lantern, which is set in nineteenth-century Japan. The idea for the book grew out of an interest in ukiyo-e, Japanese woodblock prints. I became curious about the culture that created them. And the more I read about Japan’s Edo period—the history, the society, the culture—the more my interest was aroused. My fascination is not just with the big significant events (though that’s an important backdrop) but for the details of daily life: omens and superstitions, culture, food, fashion, furnishings…I spent months reading—and then I travelled in Japan for several weeks. I stayed a couple of weeks in Tokyo (formerly Edo), visiting museums and gardens, taking an ikebana class and going to the kabuki. From there I travelled into the countryside, visiting the mountain village where the book opens and walking the path through the forest that Kasumi, the main protagonist, followed on her way to Edo. The shrouds of mists covering the valley, the rattle of the wind in the trees, the number of steps to the shrine all found their way into the book. And now, having immersed myself in the world of 1857 Edo for the year it took me to write the book, I have a full-blown obsession with Japan and Japanese history and culture. I have already returned once since I finished writing, and I am already dreaming of my next trip. The whole experience of writing and researching the book has proved extraordinarily enriching.

Tip 2: Always remember that the story comes first.

I love the research process, but I soon realised when I began writing historical YA that the most important thing I had to get right was the story. It’s easy to get carried away by the research, to want to pour all my new knowledge into the manuscript—but that’s not what the book is about: it has to work as a story first and foremost, with a compelling plot, engaging characters, a vivid setting. It is not a history lesson.

Tip 3: Find fulfilment in the process

This is a general tip about writing—and probably the most important thing I have learned in my years as a writer…There are so many aspects to writing and publishing that are beyond your control: whether a publisher will love your manuscript, whether readers and critics will love your book. So focus on what you can control. Write and rewrite, edit and refine and polish, until you know that you have done the very best work you are capable of doing. Then: be proud of the result. And take your pleasure and satisfaction in writing from the act of creation itself.

You can find out more about our guest blogger this month by visiting www.franceswatts.com

Did you find this blog helpful? Do you have suggestions for future blogs? Would you like to contribute to our '3 Tips?

We love to hear from you. Add your comments and suggestions below.

Happy Reading

Banafsheh Serov

This blog first appeared on www.banafshehserov.com

Have you watched Who do You Think you Are? Did you want to know how the show's researchers traced their subject's ancestors? And have you ever wondered how you too could one day trace your family history? 

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then you'd want to meet our guest blogger for February, Carol Baxter.

We first met Carol at 2014 Book Expo Australia, where she was one of the presenters. We then met a year later in August where we organised three events with her for her latest book, Black Widow.

Pursuing thieves and murderers through the ages is just an average day for the history detective, Carol Baxter. Like Dr Who, she hunts ordinary individuals who unwittingly had such an extraordinary impact on their world that the consequences changed the course of history. Then she brings their stories to life as historical ‘true-crime thrillers’. She is the internationally-acclaimed, award-winning author of five such works of popular history.  Her fourth book, The Peculiar Case of the Electric Constable, was published internationally by Britain’s Oneworld and was praised by the London Times as being ‘as lively and readable as a crime novel’ and by Britain’s Independent as ‘totally irresistible’. Her fifth book, Black Widow was published in June and received four stars from Good Reading magazine. She has recently been commissioned by Allen & Unwin to write a sixth book. Carol is also an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of New England and a Fellow of the Society of Australian Genealogists. She has written three genealogical ‘how to’ books and teaches researching and writing skills at genealogical and historical conferences on land and on international cruise ships.  

Here are Carol's Three Tips on Researching Family History

Start with yourself and work backwards

In my years as a genealogist, I’ve had many people say to me that they are supposedly descended from someone important and that they want to work out which branch they descend from. 

It is important that we start with ourselves and work backgrounds when we trace our family history rather than attempt to trace descent from a particular person. We have two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents and so on; that is, each generation doubles the number of our ancestors.  Conversely, a couple can have many children (one of my ancestors had 22) and each of those children can have many children of their own. So, while we only have eight great-grandparents to trace, our great-grandparents might have hundreds and hundreds of other great-grandchildren.  That is why it is easier to trace ourselves backwards than to attempt to trace all of a person’s descendants in the hope of finding out that we are one of them. Moreover, if we are truly descended from someone important, we will come across that connection as we undertake our research. 

Be wary about family stories

We must also be very wary about those tales of descent from the famous or infamous. Families only repeat the ‘good’ stories about their ancestors (I’ve written books about two murderers and those stories definitely did not pass down to their descendants!). Also, families often tweak those stories to improve them.

In fact, many family stories begin as speculation but within a few generations have become fact. Just imagine how easily the following could occur:

Generation 1: ‘My horse was stolen. I wonder if the thief was the bushranger Captain Thunderbolt?’

Generation 2: ‘Thunderbolt probably stole my father’s horse.’

Generation 3: ‘Thunderbolt stole my grandfather’s horse.’ 

The following is classic example of a ‘tweaked’ family story. My great-grandmother wrote a family history in which she stated that her grandfather was Count Fabian of the celebrated Italian Fabians. In fact, she passed the surname Fabian to her children in the form of a middle name.  When I researched my family history, I discovered that her ‘celebrated’ grandfather was in fact Thomas Fabian, a hair-dresser from Portsmouth, England.

 

So treat family stories with a grain of salt. Remember, we are all driven by ego and want to make ourselves look better in our own eyes and those of our families and friends.

Annotate every source

Make sure that you write down the source of every piece of information you find, whether it be a book, a birth, marriage or death certificate, or some other primary or secondary source. Unsubstantiated history is mythology! You might as well be writing fiction if you can’t show where you obtained your information. And you will feel like an idiot if, ten years later, you wonder where it came from and can’t remember. And you will look like an idiot if someone asks for your source and you can’t provide it. Annotate everything.

Thank you for stopping by. We'd love to hear from you. If you wish to contribute to our '3 Tips', drop us a line at info@yourbookshop.net.au with your topic and we'll promise to consider it.

Meanwhile, Happy Reading!!

My 3 Tips to Aspiring Authors - Bernadette Foley

Welcome to the inaugural edition of 'My 3 Tips', where every month, I ask a person in the book industry to share with us their 3 tips on a particular topic.

I thought I'd kick start with my  former publisher, Bernadette Foley. I met Bernadette in 2007 when she commissioned the manuscript for Under A Starless Sky for Hachette Australia. We worked together again with The Russian Tapestry. She's since moved on to launch Big Country Book Club, a new community for readers and writers online.

As an aspiring author then, I found Bernadette to be nurturing but firm in her guidance. She's been an inspiration behind my writing, aspiring me to aim higher and improve with every book.

So without further ado, here's Bernadette with her tips.

My 3 tips to aspiring writers want to get published - by Bernadette Foley

1. Ask why you are writing
2. Be patient
3. Keep reading

There are many other tips I could offer, some would depend on what you are writing, but these three stand out for me.

1. Why are you writing? Because you can’t not write. That is one of the best reasons. Because you want to be rich and famous…mmm, stop now. Because you have a message, a story, information or expertise you want to share with others. This is also a great reason to write, but it could mean that you need help from a publisher or editor to develop your manuscript. Knowing why you are writing will help you decide how to approach the task, who your audience is, which publisher or agent to approach, or to self publish. Be honest when you answer this question.

2. Be patient throughout every stage of the writing and then publishing processes. Start by being patient with yourself. Writing is a skill that improves with practice; write as often as you can and don’t be afraid to experiment with styles and ideas. No one else needs to read your exercise pieces. Don’t rush – very few published authors write only one draft. Write, rewrite, put your manuscript away, come back to it and read your work as if you are its editor; not its creator. Once you submit the manuscript to a publisher or agent, be patient with them. They are not being slow because they aren’t interested in finding new authors. Most likely they will be reading submissions in their own time, not in the office, and they will have added yours to a mountain of others. Then, if you are offered a publishing contract you will need to be patient with the whole publishing team. There will be times when you think nothing is happening. Meanwhile, in the publishing house editors, designers, sales and marketing people will all be working to make your book a success; they just might not have had time to stop and let you know that.

3. Writing takes time and brain space but that is no reason to stop reading. If your manuscript is fiction you might decide to read non-fiction, and vice versa. Read critically – think about the writing and how you might have approached it differently if you’d written on this subject. Equally, analyse what the author has done well. This will help you to edit and appraise your own work. Read for research and for relaxation; just don’t stop.

I would like to wish you all the very best with your writing

Bernadette

Bernadette Foley has worked in book publishing for 30 years, most recently as a publisher of fiction and non-fiction for Hachette Australia. She teaches at the Australian Writers Centre and Professional Editing at UTS. Bernadette is also the manager of a new community for readers and writers online, Big Country Book Club. You can visit us: www.facebook.com/BigCountryBookClub

This blog is also published under the author's website

www.banafshehserov.com.au

If you wish to be included in our 'My 3 Tips' blog, please send your topic to yourbookshopb@iinet.net.au for consideration