Twisting History

Did you feel a little twist in your middle at the title of this post? I do my very best to make sure all of my historical novels are historically accurate, from clothing to language, from setting to action. I realize it’s impossible to know every fact, and not all of my heroines conform to the expectations of a young lady of means during that time period. But there are real-life examples, many we’ve covered, that didn’t conform either.

But when it came to actually changing key historical facts to fit the story? Oh, how daunting!

Yet….

Every author plays a game of “what if.” What if a lady who had been betrayed too often learned to rely on how her cat responded to people to decide whether to trust? (Fortune’s Brides) What if a lady was so kind and sensible that she attracted the most ridiculous and heart-broken suitors? (The Unflappable Miss Fairchild) What if Napoleon, who was a devout admirer of science, invested in that science to such an extent that he was able to stay in power and threaten Britain?

And so, Shelley Adina and I twisted history, though not as much as you might think, to write the Regent’s Devices series. The inventions of Jules Verne were exaggerations of things available in his time. Likewise those of H.G. Wells and Edgar Rice Burroughs. In fact, I would propose that it is impossible to write science fiction or fantasy or even a mystery story without a little twisting of reality.

Look for the final twists coming your way in The Lady’s Triumph, launching September 28. More info at my website.