"History tells us a great deal about ourselves: who we are, where we came from, and the legacy that is ours."
Why I Write Historical Fiction
Have you ever heard the old adage: “Those who refuse to learn from history will be condemned to repeat it?” We all know there's a lot of truth in that, don’t we? We’ve experienced it in our personal lives, and we often see it in the policies of our own government and others on the world stage.
Patrick Henry said it best: "I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience." If we don't pay attention to history—our own and that of others—we'll find ourselves repeating the same mistakes time and again. The past can teach us a lot about our present lives and enable us to make wise decisions for our future. In researching the American colonial and Revolutionary eras I've learned that our Founders believed that teaching the truths of history will develop responsible citizens and ensure that our nation doesn’t fall prey to the mistakes of the past.
One of the best tools for getting students of every age involved and excited about history is entertaining, well-written, accurate historical fiction. Stories awaken our imaginative sense and draw us into the lives of the characters—their emotions, values, motivations, hopes, and dreams. Well-written, carefully researched historical fiction allows the reader to identify intimately with the story’s characters, to enter a world that is outwardly very different from their own but in reality has many important points of contact, and to get history on deep level so they can apply the lessons of the past to their own lives.
History matters, and that's a fact I delight in communicating with readers. The main focus of my writing for some years now has been the American Revolution. Writing the only comprehensive historical fiction series about our Revolution is an admittedly large task, but the amazing wealth of primary resources on the Revolution makes the work fascinating. My goal is to retell the true story of our nation’s founding by recreating the actual historical period and placing my fictional characters in the middle of the real British and colonial leaders, the pivotal battles, and the political, cultural, religious, and social upheaval of the time to create a suspense-filled story of adventure, intrigue, and romance that’s both entertaining and as accurate as I can make it. Many of the minor characters in the series are real people of the day or are based on people mentioned in the historical records. I’ve even taken bits of dialog from contemporary accounts. Many readers tell me that they have a hard time telling which parts are fictional and which parts are fact, and that’s really gratifying to hear.
Historical fiction is not only a very effective tool for teaching history, but also can tell about God in a way that reaches readers’ hearts more deeply than a simple recounting of facts. After all, that’s why Jesus taught the people through parables—because he knows our minds and hearts. By using God’s own method of reaching his people, we get it too—and we have fun doing it. That’s the reason why I write historical fiction!
Patrick Henry said it best: "I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience." If we don't pay attention to history—our own and that of others—we'll find ourselves repeating the same mistakes time and again. The past can teach us a lot about our present lives and enable us to make wise decisions for our future. In researching the American colonial and Revolutionary eras I've learned that our Founders believed that teaching the truths of history will develop responsible citizens and ensure that our nation doesn’t fall prey to the mistakes of the past.
One of the best tools for getting students of every age involved and excited about history is entertaining, well-written, accurate historical fiction. Stories awaken our imaginative sense and draw us into the lives of the characters—their emotions, values, motivations, hopes, and dreams. Well-written, carefully researched historical fiction allows the reader to identify intimately with the story’s characters, to enter a world that is outwardly very different from their own but in reality has many important points of contact, and to get history on deep level so they can apply the lessons of the past to their own lives.
History matters, and that's a fact I delight in communicating with readers. The main focus of my writing for some years now has been the American Revolution. Writing the only comprehensive historical fiction series about our Revolution is an admittedly large task, but the amazing wealth of primary resources on the Revolution makes the work fascinating. My goal is to retell the true story of our nation’s founding by recreating the actual historical period and placing my fictional characters in the middle of the real British and colonial leaders, the pivotal battles, and the political, cultural, religious, and social upheaval of the time to create a suspense-filled story of adventure, intrigue, and romance that’s both entertaining and as accurate as I can make it. Many of the minor characters in the series are real people of the day or are based on people mentioned in the historical records. I’ve even taken bits of dialog from contemporary accounts. Many readers tell me that they have a hard time telling which parts are fictional and which parts are fact, and that’s really gratifying to hear.
Historical fiction is not only a very effective tool for teaching history, but also can tell about God in a way that reaches readers’ hearts more deeply than a simple recounting of facts. After all, that’s why Jesus taught the people through parables—because he knows our minds and hearts. By using God’s own method of reaching his people, we get it too—and we have fun doing it. That’s the reason why I write historical fiction!
