Interview with English Historical Romance Author Debra Brown

The English Historical Fiction Authors Group started working together in September, 2011. They created a blog in which they post one British historical article each day, sharing information they gleaned from their education and research done in preparing novels. The group includes authors who range from mainstream-published authors to Indies, from multi-published to debut novelists.

Hello, Debra. You’re a member of the English Historical Fiction Group and all of you have participated in writing this book. Please tell us about it.

Some of us felt that history lessons in school were boring. I’m sure it depended greatly on the teacher, but in general we had to sit for another hour, listen to another lecture, and memorize more information. Dates seemed to be important—to the teachers. I remembered dates, indeed, but not always what happened that day. School, of course, is important, and the teachers do their best. But with vast centuries to cover, little time can be spent on the humorous aspects or the human-interest details that bring history to life while the turning points of the past must be learned. The EHFA blog and our book were written to bring out many fascinating true-to-life stories which can be read in a leisure setting and stir up thirst for more knowledge. “Truth can be stranger than fiction.”

This book keeps a person’s attention. Each “chapter” is a page or two long, so it is wonderful for reading in short sittings. It would be a great waiting room book, lobby or break-room book, or a book to be read on public transportation. These essays from different time periods would also help to interest high school students in history.

Where did you get your inspiration to write this book?

Shortly after we celebrated the first year anniversary of the blog, one of the authors (wisely) suggested we select posts for an anthology. This idea was received with great enthusiasm, and the work began.

What kind of research did you have to do?

The historical research had been done earlier, of course, and the articles written. It became a matter of selecting, organizing, and compiling. A publisher was contacted, proofing and editing followed, and the book became a reality.

You love to write stories surrounding England’s history. What intrigues you most about writing these stories?

The research is a huge draw. I devour the history itself. England is a beautiful, awe-inspiring country that had a class structure and its related customs that make for situations and conflict that cannot occur in a place where “all men are created equal”.

Writing is also a great pleasure; creativity simply feels good. An author develops a relationship with their characters—“people” who no one else even knows for quite some time. It is fun to see how they take over and add their twist to what I had planned.

Thank you for this opportunity to visit and let your friends know about the recently released Castles, Customs, and Kings!

Thank you, Debra, for sharing this new book with us. It sounds quite intriguing.

Visit The English Historical Fiction Authors blog and The EHFA Facebook Group. You may buy her books at: Amazon US, Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble, Kobo.