Hannah Ward
Hannah Ward asked Ruta Sepetys:

Hi Ruta! I have read all three of your novels and loved every single one! The way you write historical fiction makes me feel as if I've traveled back in time to the 1940s or even to New Orleans. Someday I want to be able to write historical fiction novels as well as you do. Do you have any writing/researching tips for an aspiring historical fiction author? Thank you so much for writing such beautiful stories!

Ruta Sepetys Hi Hannah!

I'm so thrilled to hear that you are an aspiring author of historical fiction. Yay!

In terms of writing - choose a topic or time period that you are insanely curious about, something you can't get enough of. For researching, my advice would be to try to interview people who either experienced the time period or historians who have spent years researching it. Sitting down to speak to someone can sometimes yield more dynamic results than just reading about a piece of history. And if possible, definitely travel to the place where the story takes place. That will really inspire you!
Ruta Sepetys
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