2016- Introductions

[Ellie]

Hi, I'm Ellie from Bulgaria.

[Michael]

Hello All,

I'm an Irish nomad (currently in Prague), an avid reader, father of two boys, rugby player, businessman, avid reader, gin bore and budding author.

I'm also a latecomer to the whole history thing - the subject was so badly taught at school that I ran screaming at the first opportunity. Thanks to the Bernard Cornwells of the world, I'm back and trying to make up for lost time. Given where I grew up, my primary interest is in the Classical Civilisation/ Dark Ages - (post) Roman Britain, Viking-era Nordic tales, and of course Celtic mythology in all its forms.

I'm open to questions and hope to pick up some good recommendations here. I've already seen something interesting about Thomas the Rhymer, so I think I'm onto a good thing...

Cheers

Michael

[Julie]

Hello, I'm Julie and I've just joined this group. I am an avid reader of historical fiction and I write it too. I recently embarked upon a series of historical novels set in moorish Al Andalus and I'm really happy at the moment as the first in the series has just been long listed for a literary prize!! You can find more about my books on my author page, if you're interested, I write as J.J.Anderson. I look forward to taking part in discussions in the group. Currently reading 'The Printer's Coffin' a Blake and Avery mystery by M.R.Carter. It's the first of these that I've read and I am enjoying it.

[Gilbert]

Welcome to the group.

[Julie]

Thanks. I've picked up some good recommendations already.

[Michelle]

Hello everyone. I'm an author of historical fiction under the name Michelle Rene, and I'm an avid reader. I'm always looking for new books to read. The last great one I read was The People of The Book. Would love recommendations.

[Jill]

Nicole wrote: "Hi!
Is this where I introduce myself? I'm joining this group because I am looking for Goodreads friends with the same taste in books. I love reading historical fiction, specifically if it's ancien..."

Hi Nicole, I have just found your post. Looks like we share the same sort of tastes. I would send you a friend request but I have no idea how to do it. haven't really sussed out this Goodreads site properly yet at all! I loved 'The Red Tent' too. have you read Sarah Dunnant's 'Sacred Hearts' or Henry Vyner-Brooks' 'Heretic'??

[Jill]

Tom wrote: "Hello. My name is Tom and I am from the United States. My interest in history lies primarily in the Latin East during the Medieval Period, though I am also fascinated by everything to do with the w..."

Erin wrote: "Hello! Another new member here (I suppose the New Year brings us out of the woodwork. ;D). I'm a life-long bookworm who generally bounces between fantasy and historical fiction, filled in here and ..."

Hello Tom, I have just found your post and it looks like we share some of the same tastes. I am currently working on a novel set in 2nd century Rome, marrying what we know about the history of the early Christian Church with our knowledge of the emperor Commodus and his immediate successors. Whether anyone will ever get to read it is another matter!

[Jill]

Does anyone know how to 'follow' an author? I find Goodreads very hard to use. It isn't at all obvious how to do anything!!

[Michelle]

Jill wrote: "Does anyone know how to 'follow' an author? I find Goodreads very hard to use. It isn't at all obvious how to do anything!!"

Hi Jill. I believe you go to the page of one of their books. You should be able to click on their name which takes you to their author page. Then there should be a button to follow them.

[Jill]

Michelle wrote: "Jill wrote: "Does anyone know how to 'follow' an author? I find Goodreads very hard to use. It isn't at all obvious how to do anything!!"

Hi Jill. I believe you go to the page of one of their book..."

Thanks Michelle, I'll give it a try tomorrow!

[Brooke]

Hi HFers!
My name is Brooke Obie and I'm an historical/speculative fiction novelist. Glad to be in this group!

[Tricia]

Welcome Brooke, I am intrigued, what is historical/speculative? This historical genre is very broad and I am looking for a true history niche wrapped in a good story.

[Rosemary]

Hi everyone

I am Rosemary, and, after 30 years' research and writing, I have just published my first novel, which includes time travel back to the Edwardian age - the era of the suffragettes. I find this period of time very interesting, especially this year, when voting in political elections has been so different! There seems to be an amazing number of historical periods which interest HF readers.

[Tricia]

Welcome Rosemary you didn't mention the name of your book.

[David]

Brooke wrote: "Hi HFers!
My name is Brooke Obie and I'm an historical/speculative fiction novelist. Glad to be in this group!"

Welcome, Brooke! Best wishes, David.

[Anita]

Rosemary could you let me known the name of your boy please

[David]

Rosemary wrote: "Hi everyone

I am Rosemary, and, after 30 years' research and writing, I have just published my first novel, which includes time travel back to the Edwardian age - the era of the suffragettes. I fi..."

Hi Rosemary, congratulations!!! Wishing you all the very best in your writing, David.

[Rosemary]

Tricia wrote: "Welcome Rosemary you didn't mention the name of your book." Sorry, Tricia, I wasn't sure of the rules about promoting. It's "A Time To Be".

[Rosemary]

Anita wrote: "Rosemary could you let me known the name of your boy please" Sorry, Anita, it's "A Time To Be".

[Rosemary]

Tricia wrote: "Welcome Rosemary you didn't mention the name of your book." It's "A Time To Be". Tricia. Sorry, I was unsure about the rules on promoting our books.

[Rosemary]

David wrote: "Rosemary wrote: "Hi everyone

I am Rosemary, and, after 30 years' research and writing, I have just published my first novel, which includes time travel back to the Edwardian age - the era of the s..."

Thank you for your good wishes, David.

[Wayne]

Hi everyone. A fellow author told me about this group. Happy to be here. Since I only get one shot to introduce myself, and I don't want to be "spammy" here goes:

My name is Wayne Turmel. When not at the dreaded day job, I write historical fiction. My first novel, The Count of the Sahara was nicely reviewed and I'm in pre-publication panic for my newest, Acre's Bastard, which will come out in January. You can learn all about my books and my work at WayneTurmel.com.
Equally important, I interview other historical fiction authors on my blog to help them get exposure.. If you're interested (particularly if you have a unique era or twist that hasn't been done to death) I'd love to hear from you.
I'll shut up now and learn from the rest of you.

[Jackie]

Welcome all!

To those authors that want to know about out rules you can find them in this thread:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Please let me know if you have any questions. You can post here or send me a direct message.

[Wayne]

Jackie wrote: "Welcome all!

To those authors that want to know about out rules you can find them in this thread:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Please let me know if yo..." Thanks, Jackie. Lovely to "meet" you.

[Anita]

So sorry Rosemary ,I meant to write book and not boy ,I never noticed my mistake until you replied .Thank you for replying and for the name of your book,I will definitely read it .Can I find it on goodreads ?

[Anita]

Rosemary I just found it on Amazon and it looks brilliant so I will buy it to read as soon as I finish my current book .

[Tinneke]

T.J. wrote: "Hello! Just arrived here!

I am live in Denmark, mad about all things Viking. Got a Viking burial mound (gravhoej) just down the road, travelled Scandinavia, Canada and UK seeking out all manner of..."

Hello T.J : then you should definitly read the last kingdom of Bernard Cronwell.

[Rosemary]

Anita wrote: "Rosemary I just found it on Amazon and it looks brilliant so I will buy it to read as soon as I finish my current book ." Thank you so much, Anita. The Kindle version is cheaper than paperback. I am so new to all this that I am not sure how to go about promoting "long distance"! I think I have to fulfill certain issues before I can put it on Goodreads, so will keep digging about until more ideas make sense! Can you point me to your book?

[Anita]

Rosemary ,I am not as good as yourself at writing ,I was saying when I finish reading my current book , sorry for not explaining myself properly.I have found your book and I have bought it on Amazon the kindle version and also from goodreads I recommended it to friends.I will be looking forward to reading it so much. Did you read Ann o Connor the left handed marriage, Rosemary it is really good .

[Rosemary]

Anita wrote: "Rosemary ,I am not as good as yourself at writing ,I was saying when I finish reading my current book , sorry for not explaining myself properly.I have found your book and I have bought it on Amazo..."

Thank you, Anita, I have looked up the Ann O'Connor book on Amazon and will try that. Do you have a book you have written?

[Anita]

No ,I am not as talented as your good self but I do love to read when I have any spare time .

[Linda]

Hi everyone! I'm new here and only joined GR at the end of Oct. so I am feeling my way around everything. I am not a writer, just an avid reader that loves historicals. Anytime before 1920 is interesting to me. One of my favorite authors is Anne Perry. Looking forward to joining in on the next book to be discussed!

[Ben]

Greetings, fellow lovers of historical fiction!
Irish, former veterinarian, now fulltime author, I love reading (many genres including historical fiction, contemporary, some crime, good fantasy), rugby and hiking/biking.
I look forward to reading the posts on here.
(My novels are set in ancient Rome, in case you're wondering!)

[Johann]

Greetings to all Historical Fictionistas!
My favorite genre to read and when I decided to write, there was no reason to start anywhere else but historical fiction. I enjoy reading about several eras and I currently write historic fiction set in the Prohibition era. I'm not limiting myself to that, so anything might happen. As for me, my likes are good rye whiskey (in moderation it prevents writer's block so I call it Literar-Rye), classic automobiles, art deco designs and various other things. One of my favorite benefits from writing historic fiction is doing the research that is necessary if one wishes to portray your characters and what they do with accuracy. Hope to contribute to the discussion and most of all, to learn as much as possible from the assembled wisdom here.
Johann

[R.]

Hello, my name is R. Manolakas, an author of historical fiction, and I am glad to join this group--as expected, I love historical fiction very much, especially that dealing in the time between WW1 and WW2. Look forward to discussions of all the books out there. cheers!

[R.]

I am about half way through this book, and although it is non-fiction technically, there are probably subtle elements of fiction in this book, and the others. A very good book by the way. What do you think about this fiction versus non-fiction issue? R. Manolakas

[Kim. E.]

HI to fellow readers and authors of this great genre! I'm Kim É. and have always been a fan of historical fiction and history since I was a little girl. My parents really believed in traveling, stateside and around the world, so we lived very simply and saved every penny and put it towards trips. Except for jaunts to Disney, all the rest focused on taking in historical sites (w/a side of beach now and then), and they would buy me books about the places before we went, then I'd hit the gift shops at these places and buy more books on vacations. I still do this, and have passed on to my daughter.

[Janet]

Hi,

My name is Janet and I am the author of the book "the Devil Knows" that "travels to the wilderness of northern Canada, Austen-mannered London, and the uncertainties of change in a surreal Jamaica".

I'd like to find someone available to read and review my book.

Also, my book giveaway has started today. I invite you to enter it: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

Thanks,
Janet

[Ashley]

Hello! My name is Ashley, and I am only a recent fan of historical fiction. I never thought I would enjoy the genre much because I was never a fan of history in high school. I suppose that is because it always felt like it was a lot of memorization of names and dates, and I just didn't find that aspect of the classes that interesting. A little over a year ago I started picking up historical fiction books, and when I read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah I simply fell in love. Although I have immensely enjoyed reading for as long as I can remember, it never occurred to me that I could learn about history through historical fiction. I've found myself reading more historical fiction books over the past year than ever before, and I've also found myself Googling historical events that never before interested me. I'm really excited to see what everyone else, especially those of you who have been reading the genre for awhile, enjoys and spends time with.

[Anthony]

I like group name "historical fiction".

[Gary]

Ashley wrote: "Hello! My name is Ashley, and I am only a recent fan of historical fiction. I never thought I would enjoy the genre much because I was never a fan of history in high school. I suppose that is becau..."

The 5K Zone tells the story of youngsters Peter and Trudi who are ethnic Germans under mandate of the Potsdam Agreement to be expelled from the former Sudetenland section of Czechoslovakia at the end of WWII. It is a combination history lesson, spy/adventure novel and insight into how Nazism affected the everyday German citizen. www.5kzone.com

[Jackie]

Welcome all!

Just a friendly reminder to authors in the group. Please make sure to read group rules before advertising your book. Rules can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Keith]

My name is Keith. One short novel that I've written has been published, but it is by no means historical fiction. It's more romantic comedy, if I had to classify it.

I joined the group because I have enjoyed many works of historical fiction through the years, going back to the classics by Tolstoy and Walter Scott, up through current writers. My favorites are Herman Wouk's World War II books, The Winds of War and its sequel War and Remembrance. I sometimes have trouble making progress reading new books because I tend to go back and reread the ones I really love.

[Janet]

Happy Tuesday! My first posting here. I read a lot of historical fiction and look forward to learning from others. My very first favorites included The Scarlet Letter/Nathaniel Hawthorne (written over a century after it is set) and Ariadne: A Novel of Ancient Crete/June Rachuy Brindel. In recent years, I've particularly appreciated novels in the diary form (since I was writing one), and some of my favorites have been Geraldine Brooks's Year of Wonders and her novel Caleb's Crossing, and several novels on Josephine Bonaparte by Sandra Gulland. Other long-time favorites in diary form are The Color Purple/Alice Walker and Mary Reilly/Valerie Martin. So many good novels have passed me by, and I look forward to remedying that, to the extent that it's possible.

[Lisa]

Hello from Lincolnshire in the UK. I am a retired music teacher finding the time now to enjoy reading again. I used to be a real bookworm as a child, but practising an instrument and preparing lessons put that on the back burner for me. These days I enjoy my cats, my garden, composing and arranging music, writing and reading. I enjoy historical fiction of all varieties and eras but it has to be well researched for me. I have reviewed a few books in the genre that I enjoyed recently and have quite a tbr list but in all honesty it would be good to see what other people are enjoying. OK, that's enough from me for now. I look forward to joining in as and when I can. Am I allowed to say I write? If so I did write a book about women pilots in WW2. It also features the RAF, the women's land army and is set in my home county. My next read in the genre is likely to be The Constant Queen, a new release I am looking forward to very much. My last really awesome read was The Autumn Throne which I thought was a great book.

[H.]

Hello, hello :)

I'm Hannah. I'm not an author, but I love to read - particularly historical fiction & romances (clean), christian historical fiction, literary fiction, chick lit, travel & garden writing, and childrens books with themes of animals.

When I'm not reading, I enjoy jigsaw puzzles & board games, a little needlework, coloring, and gardening, when the weather is good. I have one cat and an Irish beau and I love chatting in groups, meeting like-minded friends, watching historical tv & films, British Bake Off, Downton Abbey, bone china teacups, and lemon cookies.

[Elaine]

Ashley wrote: "Hello! My name is Ashley, and I am only a recent fan of historical fiction. I never thought I would enjoy the genre much because I was never a fan of history in high school. I suppose that is becau..."

Ashley, your experience with high school history is so much like my own and, like you, I discovered reading historical fiction a revelation, so much so that now I actually write about the Loyalists from about 200 years ago. Sharon Kay Penman writes superior and well researched HF. I started with The Sunne in Splendour and have read everything she has written. I even met her at the Historical Novel Society Conference in Denver in 2015, a thrilling experience. HF just seems to have more truth to it, anchored as it is in real events and the lives of real people.

[Larry]

Happy Holidays! This is my first posting to this group. I love historical fiction - being from Texas I particularly love settings in the south and west from the 18th and 19th centuries and I'm also a fan of medieval era European fiction. I look forward to participating in this group with you and meeting and interacting with you.

[N.J.]

I love historical fiction. Hello, I'm N.J. author of It's my first attempt at self publishing and I am loving the challenge and pushing my own experiences. When I'm not reading or writing I enjoy hiking, fishing, camping and snowboarding. When I don't have the time or the weather sucks I love costume design and scrapbooking.