The New York City Chapter of the Historical Novel Society presents this recording from November 13, 2024: "What Was Napoleon Doing in Egypt?" Leslie Carroll (Confessions of Marie Antoinette) interviews Michelle Cameron about Cameron's latest book, Napoleon's Mirage, an epic saga of love and adventure that spans continents and conflicts during the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt. They discuss the research process, writing from a multi-character POV, and how to handle character opinions and values that are not shared in the modern world.

Michelle Cameron is the author of Jewish historical fiction, with her most recent being Napoleon’s Mirage, the sequel to Beyond the Ghetto Gates. Previous work includes Babylon: A Novel of Jewish Captivity, a finalist in religious fiction in the 2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the award-winning Beyond the Ghetto Gates and The Fruit of Her Hands: the story of Shira of Ashkenaz. Michelle is a director of The Writers Circle, a NJ-based creative writing program serving children, teens, and adults. She lives in Chatham, NJ, with her husband and has two grown sons of whom she is inordinately proud.

Leslie Carroll is the author of twenty-two books in three genres: women’s fiction, historical fiction, and historical nonfiction. She is also a professional actress and an award-winning audiobook narrator. Her novels have been translated into several languages and optioned for film and television. A native New Yorker, Leslie and her husband reside a stone’s throw from Central Park.

HNS-NYC website: https://www.hnsnyc.org

Contact: info@hnsnyc.org

The New York City Chapter of the Historical Novel Society presents this recording from an October 22, 2024 live panel. Sarah Relyea (Playground Zero) is in conversation with authors Jeanne Mackin (Picasso's Lovers) and Susan Wands (High Priestess and Empress) on how historical novelists handle iconic characters and their descendants with regard to self-censorship, publisher and reader expectations, and other constraints on authorial freedom. A great program for writers and readers alike.

Learn more about us at our HNS-NYC website.

The New York City Chapter of the Historical Novel Society presents this recording from a live presentation on September 24, 2024. "Researching Historical Fiction" explores the task of an author and editor’s job in balancing research with good storytelling. Susan Wands (High Priestess and Empress) is in conversation authors, Faith L. Justice (The Theodosian Women series) and Radha Vatsal (A Front Page Affair ) and editor Andrea Robinson to discuss making a compelling narrative while weaving in historical facts that make up the genre of historical fiction. A fascinating discussion for writers and readers alike.

HNS-NYC website: https://www.hnsnyc.org

This panel on “Research Your Novel” is a collaboration between the New York City chapters of the Romance Writers of America and the Historical Novel Society. On July 13, 2024, Ursula Renee (A Bookie’s Odds) of the RWA moderated a panel of acclaimed authors from the Historical Novel Society. Stephanie Cowell (The Boy in the Rain ), Loretta Goldberg (Beyond the Bukubuk Tree), and Faith L. Justice (Becoming the Twilight Empress) shared the tricks, tools, pitfalls, and delights of doing scholarly, library, internet, and site visit research. We're pleased to present this joint venture to our members and hope to do more in the future with this and other writing organizations.

Additional information:

RWA/NYC website: https://rwanyc.com

Contact: info@rwanyc.com

HNS-NYC website: https://www.hnsnyc.org

Contact: info@hnsnyc.org

The New York City Chapter of the Historical Novel Society presents this recording from a live presentation on June 25, 2024. Stephanie Cowell (The Boy in the Rain) is in conversation with two award-winning authors Loretta Goldberg (Beyond the Bukubuk Tree: a World War II Novel of Love and Loss) and Lance Ringel (Flower of Iowa) about writing their novels featuring military men struggling to sort out the challenges sparked by their unexpected mutual attraction in the cauldron of war during WWI and WWII. They discuss the genesis of their stories, the epic journeys both took in researching their times and places, and the difficulties in getting published. A fascinating discussion for our writer and reader members alike. More information available at our website: https://www.hnsnyc.org

Link to downloadable PDF file with images mentioned in the early part of the program: https://lorettagoldberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Beyond-mini-slide-show.pdf

The New York City Chapter of the Historical Novel Society presents this recording from May 15, 2024. Loretta Goldberg moderated our Open Mic Night at the Jefferson Market Library. Ten members joined her in the intimate Mae West Room to read excerpts from their works in progress and published books. The historical times ranged from 5C Rome to 1960’s San Francisco. Here are the readers in order:

1. Andrew Kass reads from Distant Thunder (WIP)

2. Lisa Yarde reads from The Order of the Dragon (Book 2)

3. Helen Lundstrom Erwin reads from The Lure of Water and Wood

4. Diane Simmons reads from Kidnappers: A Love Story (WIP)

5. Christina Britton Conroy reads from His Majesty’s Theatre

6. Jeri Hilderley reads from Fire Dragon Street Theater 1962-1967

7. Kate Hornstein reads from A Little Amity (WIP),

8. Martha Hoffman reads from The Queen’s Nun (WIP),

9. Anne Marie Brumm reads from her untitled work in progress

10. Faith L. Justice reads from Becoming the Twilight Empress

Additional information:

HNS-NYC website: https://www.hnsnyc.org/

The New York City Chapter of the Historical Novel Society presents this recording from April 10, 2024 "Two Authors, One Novel or How to Collaborate on a Novel While Remaining Friends." Stephanie Cowell (The Boy in the Rain) is in conversation with Kate Quinn and Janie Chang about their experience in co-writing their novel The Phoenix Crown set during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. They cover what made them decide to work together, what was it about that time period that sparked their interest, how they created a process that allowed them to work remotely on the same book, and—of course!—their extensive historical research. A fascinating discussion for our writer and reader members alike.

The video of this program can be views on our website: https://www.hnsnyc.org

The New York City Chapter of the Historical Novel Society presents this recording from February 2, 2024 where our presenters discuss new ways to market historical fiction. Using her experience with podcasting as an example, Libby Hawker advises authors to ignore the conventional musts of marketing. She suggests we be our authentic selves in a chosen medium we love as a better and more enjoyable path to finding readers. Helen Lundstrom Erwin reinforces that advice with a demonstration and discussion of her trailblazing digital marketing set in virtual reality. A fascinating presentation for our writer members.

The video of this program can be found on our website: https://www.hnsnyc.org

Presenters:

Libby Hawker https://www.hawkerbooks.com/

October in the Earth https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW1GFPV3

Helen Lundstrom Erwin https://helenerwin.com/

The Lure of Water and Wood https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKXW59YV

Host:

Loretta Goldberg https://lorettagoldberg.com/

The Reversible Mask https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J5W4Z85/