December 22, 2008

Historical fact or fiction?

Historical fiction is hot! Well, especially if you want to read (or write) about Tudor England. A recent novel, The Other Boleyn Girl got lots of interest from readers, following on the heels of the author's other novels about the Tudor monarchy, and was quickly picked up as a movie. Thousands of readers and movie-goers got a great lesson in English history. Or did they?

Fact is The Other Boleyn Girl has been severely criticized for the misinformation, (rewriting of history, if you please) that the novel and movie contain. That brings up the question of the day: What obligation do historical fiction writers have to being true to the real history of the time they are writing about? The quick answer is a serious and total obligation.

I told an interviewer who was reviewing my novel Dream Helper, that I never let history get in the way of a good story by way of saying story is what readers want and what separates us from non-fiction historical writers. But I adhered to the actual history of the early California missions to tell a poignant tale of a woman's fight for freedom. That is far different that rewriting history to suit a novel's plot or an author's prejudices. A good novel — be it historical or contemporary — centers on the actions and emotions of its characters. Those characters must act in historically appropriate situations, in historic settings, with historically appropriate mindsets. And my characters always do! To do otherwise is cheating; cheating readers, cheating ourselves as researcher-writers and cheating history itself.

In the dumb-downed world we live in it is more popular, and clearly more commercially successful, to "fluffy up" the facts, or, when the facts don't fit the story, to make up new historical "facts." And when a trend — Tudor English fiction, for example — gets rolling, and authors are rushing to crank out novels to take advantage of that trend, it's a far easier path than digging for the real "story." But those authors miss out on the satisfaction of seeing their fictional creations fit neatly into the historical settings.

By necessity, Dream Helper has almost no real historical people as characters, but the story's fictional characters always act in ways that are appropriate. Delfina's Gold, the second novel in The Chronicles of California series, has far more real people walking through its pages. You'll be surprised at how some of them act, but I will assure my readers that they act the way the people the represent acted or would have acted in similar situations.

My holiday wish is that all readers are transported to the historical setting they find most intriguing, and once there are treated to glimpses of how it looked and what it felt like; and that historical fiction authors pledge to write really historical fiction, or call it Romance if they don't.

As always, CLICK HERE to send my your comments.

Read more about Dream Helper

December 15, 2008

Watch Your Language

When we look for a good historical novel to read, or any work of fiction for that matter, we probably are drawn first by our expectations for the plot, be it a maritime story or bodice ripper or anything in between. Obviously, if the story doesn't sound appealing we never go further.

The next expectation we have for good fiction of any sort is that it have a compelling plot. (Disregard here any literary argument about whether good novels are plot-driven or character-driven — we can deal with that at another time — readers want exciting plots first and foremost.) Next comes characters — great characters that we'll remember and ponder long after the book has been closed and set down. In fact, characters resonate in our minds far stronger and longer in the great books than their plots, think Scarlett O'Hara.

Is that all? Is there something more readers should look for in their fiction? I think there is: the novel should also have compelling language especially suited to the subject of the story. Think of books you've read, think about the language the author used to tell you the story, and I'll wager you a latte you can't recall anything about the language. That's because the author has selected the right words to fit his setting and characters in his story. For instance, Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men draws you into the character of its two main characters, George and Lennie, with very careful word choices. No high flautin' words here, they'd be out of place, but read East of Eden and you'll find a much richer vocabulary used. (I seem to be on a John Steinbeck kick the past couple of weeks, but I could do a lot worse.

Same with Cormac McCarthy's novels, McCarthy words come from his characters and the narrator, not from him. And the list can go on and on, pick your favorites and check out how the language seems so appropriate to the tale, as if there could have been no other way to write the story. Today, many contemporary writers, especially those in the New Yorker and MFA orbits, write to show off their own literary talents, leaving their characters literally searching for words. (Send me an email and I tell you who I think are guilt of this literary crime.)

In a word, it comes down to authenticity. Either the language and the characters and the plot all come together to form a compelling whole or there is a dissonance that you may not be able to identify but you know is there, and it diminished the enjoyment for you because the author didn't have the good sense to get out of his or her character's way.

As always, click here to contact me.

December 8, 2008

In Praise of Pencil and Paper

I used to marvel at the dedication of the great writers of the twentieth century; men and women I admired working before the invention of the laptop. My God, how did they do it?

I use to have images in my head of these greats - Hemingways, Fitz Geralds, Steinbecks, Bucks, Ferbers, Bradburys et. al. typing the same page over and over until all the typos had been corrected and they had got the words just right, perfectly right. I always knew I would never have had that kind of dedication.

And then it came to me, like an "I could've had a V-8 moment," that these fantastic writers didn't work that way at all. My goodness, they never would have published anything. I suspect, although I don't have absolute proof, that writers before the computer (and certainly before the typewriter) didn't depend on technology to product their work. They wrote with pencil (or pen) and paper, meticulously writing out their novels longhand. Probably leaving plenty of spaces so they could cross out words and phrases and insert better words and phrases, until it was just the way they wanted it. Then, perhaps they typed their manuscripts before sending them off to their editors, or perhaps they sent some longhand pages.

Steinbeck hand carved a wooden box to send the manuscript of Journal of a Novel to his editor, in which he placed, according to its publisher a manuscript written in "black pencil in Steinbeck's meticulous hand."

It is my believe that we lose something when we try to create our work directly on a computer. The keyboard and screen are simply not like pencil and paper, they don't get the words right, they don't make us think hard, and they don't tap into our wellspring of our creativity. This is not to say that may contemporary writers don't do well creating on the computer; it is to say an awful lot of what is published today could be better if writers didn't try to hurry their work along on their laptops, and an awful lot of fiction written today isn't very good.

I believe that the tactile approach of a hand holding a pen or pencil and writing on a yellow legal tablet evokes more creativity than that same hand tapping on an electronic keyboard as I'm doing right now; I believe there is a better connection to the source of our creativity using a pencil-and-paper approach to writing, a better communication between ourselves and the universal font of creativity that flows through us.

And I'm not alone. For anyone interested, Natalie Goldberg's books, Writing Down the Bones or Wild Mind are terrific ways to tap into your creative core. Goldberg recommends a daily discipline of writing a minimum of 10 minutes on a yellow pad keeping the hand that holds the pencil in continuous motion, not stopping to think, not thinking about what appears on the tablet, not doubting that the process will get you in touch with a higher source of ideas you might never have found any other way.

Everyone finds their own level. For me, its a modification of Goldberg's prescription. I don't always do the exercise she recommends ever day, but I never start working on a new chapter until I've written nonstop for 10 minutes (and often much longer) several times. When I'm done I have a great handle on the chapter -- characters, plot, and the intangible of feeling; my next step is to use an index card (still with pen) to do a mini-outline of each scene, noting characters that will appear and what happens on a beat by beat basis in the scene among other notes. Then, on the laptop, it's pretty mechanical, and it is followed by days with pen in hand again, making revisions and improvements in the draft. Yes, even at the first draft level, because with that pen back in my hand, the ideas for revision flow from my brain, down my arm, into my left hand and onto the paper in a nonlinear way that no computer can match.

As always, click here to contact me.

December 1, 2008

Serendipity

Every new fiction writer, whether he or she learns their craft through books, lectures, writers' conferences or trial and error, is confronted by conflicting opinions on how to construct their novel. One school of thought contends the writers shouldn't begin to write the actual fiction until they have planned it each step of the way. For some that sounds like an outline, but it need not be that structured; what is intended is that every twist and turn, each mishap or success the protagonist has should be planned in advance.

The other school of thought says, in effect, wing it! Let your characters set the agenda, the writer should take their lead and just steer the ship ever so slightly so it lands in port rather than floundering on the rocks of writer's block.

I have tried it both ways, well, almost. I've never had a serious outline and I've never started not knowing where I was going, but I am sure at this place in my writing life that, for me, and I think for most writers, the best course is to keep thing more loose rather than more structures.

Wonderful things happen to story when the human mind sets to work on it, to ruminate on all the variations that present themselves as a plot unfolds. Putting pencil to paper or electronic digits on a computer screen, both require a linear thought process that restricts the creative mind's ability to ramble far out to come up with new ideas and mold them into a coherent plot.

As I write Delfina's Gold, I meet new characters that add depth and a feeling of reality to the story. Don't misunderstand this, I know the arc the story will take; I know what the major characters will be challenged in the end to do; I know how the story will end, but more often than not I'm never sure just how I'll get there and the surprise of the journey is always exciting and worthwhile.

I had it well in mind how my first novel, Dream Helper, would end. I'd planned it from the start, but when I got ready to write the ending my protagonist refused to act the way I thought she would. Simply put, she told me she would never do what I wanted her to do and the story would wait until I came to her point of view. She was right, I was wrong, and Dream Helper has the proper ending it should have. Bottom line here is be in control of your work but don't be too controlling. Let me know what you thing, e-mail me by clicking here.

November 24, 2008

Thanks!

If last week was a time to be shocked by the ravages of the wildfires ripping through southern California, this is the week to reflect on the injustices of who survived with their lives and homes in tack and who lost everything. The randomness of the disaster is shocking. I drove through the fire area of Montecito a couple of days ago, a smelly, gray world in which the slightest breeze swirls dirty ash and new fear around the chimneys that are the only surviving evidence of lives interrupted. Just when you are sure nothing could possible have survived the inferno that was fanned by 70 mile an hour winds, you see a home untouched, and it touches you deeply.

How to thank the firefighters, police, sheriff's deputies, Highway Patrol officers and the unnamed men and women who pitched in to fight the blaze? No way is adequate, no way can we reach out to each of them individually, and no way can we begin to comprehend the unselfish way they put themselves in harm's way for others. The English language is rich in words, but words are simply inadequate to express out gratitude, respect and awe.

And there is no way to comprehend the losses I saw as I drove around. Three weeks ago I wrote about my angst when my laptop crashed and I lost some important documents -- how inconsequential that now seems compared to the total losses almost three hundred families suffered in that night of flame.

These are tough times, not only for fire victims, they are tough times for all of us; the fear of an unknown future has never been stronger in most of our lifetimes. Compare it to the Great Depression or World War II, but for most, those are stories past down from parents and grandparents. Now is real! Nevertheless, we have the same reasons to be thankful this week as we've had all along -- our families, our friends, our faith -- the important things of our lives.

I am thankful I finished another chapter of Delfina's Gold on schedule, but that is so insignificent in the face of all that has happened this year I am almost embarassed to report it. And yet, I am perhaps more thankful than ever for the rich life I lead -- not in material things, but in the wonderful people who fill my life and the opportunity to communicate with other wonderful people I haven't met personally. Despite the challenges we all face, I hope you all can say the same thing. Send me an e-mail and let me know what you are thankful for. Click Here.

November 17, 2008

Mother Nature Trumps Fiction Writer

Not one single word of new fiction got added to Delfina's Gold last week! No apologies! It was a week Mother Nature took control of our lives. Anyone living in Southern California knows what I'm talking about.

My wife and I live in Montecito, which despite the media's penchant for describing it as a "Rich Enclave" populated by movie stars and media moguls, is really not quite that way. Thursday evening, around 5:45, with Sundowner Winds gusting to 70 MPH, a wild fire broke out in our foothills and raced toward the ocean. It started about a mile from our home and had destroyed over 200 homes while our great firefighters, with help from crews from around the state, were busy making sure everyone was safe.

We watched as flames leaped from the hilltops around us, casting the sky in a deep orange glow that reflected off the smoke billowing into the sky. The wind from the northeast pushed that smoke cloud away from us and it was eerie to see a full moon and bright stars overhead when the area to the west was all but obscured.

At 3:30 AM we received an evacuation warning from a reverse 911 call, but it was clear by then the main body of fire was moving away from us, into the city of Santa Barbara. Late that night the winds died down and all day Friday Santa Barbara and Montecito waited for they to pick up that afternoon. They didn't! One of the most miraculous things I have ever experienced. The weather service was calling for strong Northeast winds gusting over 60 MPH for that evening but they never materialized, allowing the firefighters to get control of the southern perimeter of the fire that threatened to race through heavily populated neighborhoods of the city. Truly, a miracle!

Then the fires ignited with a vengeance in Los Angeles and Orange Counties and Montecito was left smoldering. During our fire almost 6,000 homes were evacuated without incident because our community and several fire-prone neighborhoods in Santa Barbara had practiced evacuation drills during the spring and summer. Now, families are coming together to over shelter and other assistance to the fire victims. I wouldn't live in any other community in America as long as I can stay in Montecito.

My hats off to the firefighters! They are the bravest and most caring men and women in community service today. Their training is awesome, but their dedication to saving lives ahead of property, and their compassion for those who suffer losses is the finest measure of human caring I can think of. Thanks from my wife and me to all of them.

One footnote: there is a chapter in Delfina's Gold about a wildfire in which two individuals are forced to take shelter. That's what happened to some people Thursday evening, and the few people who have read the chapter contacted me to say it is right on in its descriptive vividness. My recommendation to you is avoid the real wildfire and read about it in the book. It's much safer that way.

As always, contact me by clicking here.

November 10, 2008

The Writer's Life

A lot of the new writers I meet tell me their goal is to be successful enough to spend all of their time writing. Sometimes it's difficult for me to be patient with this kind of statement because of its naively. Those days are gone; their fine ones to remember as we savor the works of authors from the 1920s and 1930s, even into the 40s, but that was a different century than the one we're in now.

I may have written about this before--it's one of my pet topics--and I'll probably harp on it sometime soon again, but every new writer needs to learn that the good ole days are long gone, gone the way of quill pens and typewriters. Today's writer wears many hats; if he doesn't he isn't a commercial writer for very long. Whether you get a five or six-figure advance from a New York publisher, publish with a small regional firm, or undertake the publication of your own work, you must become a master marketers, salesperson, PR flack and a host of other very important jobs if you hope to be successful.

I've been fortunate to have good mentors along the way; I credit them with many of the reasons Dream Helper has sold far more copies that the majority of new books published each year. I also credit the fact that I am a reasonable good speaker and don't mind meeting and talking with strangers about my novel.

On Wednesday I will be interviewed for an hour on a local radio station. For those of you within hearing range of Santa Barbara it's AM station 1290 from 9 am to 10 am on Wednesday, November 12. (I'll have more to say about this next week.) So last week I had to take a large block of time from writing the draft of Delfina's Gold to call on a number of bookstores and other outlets to make sure they had stock on hand. Notice I said "stock" not "books." The simple fact is that once your book is in print it becomes a product, a product you have to go out and sell. I've obligated myself to all our local book merchants to keep them aware of what I'm doing to promote the sale of my product in their stores and checking to make sure they have enough product on hand to supply the demand I hope to create.

Would I rather be writing? Perhaps. There's nothing that gives me greater pleasure than getting the words and the sentences and the paragraphs in a scene right, but each time I go out to call on a book seller, most of whom have become my good friends, I learn more about my career. Writing is great, don't misunderstand me, but it's only a part of the wonderful life a "writer" can enjoy.

Because of last week's activities, I barely wrote the chapter I was committed to. As things stand now I have eight weeks until the end of the year and eight or nine chapters to write in that time. Still doable, but tight. As always I'd like to hear from you so click here and write away.

November 3, 2008

Why Write?

Virtually no one I know on even the most casual basis, doesn't tell me they want to write. Yet the statistics seem to say that less than one hundred men and women in the U.S. make a full time living from their writing. So it isn't the urge go make a bundle that motivates people to take up pen and paper, of if it is, those folks are seriously misguided. No, there is something in our DNA that compells us to put our thoughts, fears, ideas and life stories down on paper where we can share them with the rest of the human race. (Perhaps that goes to far, but nevertheless, the need to write is a tribal instinct.

So this short blog, written as I prepare to undergo a detox program from all political advertising, is a simple plea to others to write! Write! And write some more! If you're lucky enough to have some one read what you write, and better still enjoy reading it, as I've had the great opportunity to do with my historical novel, Dream Helper, all the better. But write even if you keep your words locked away in a drawer somewhere no one would ever think to look.

There are any number of reasons for writing. Here are a couple. First, and perhaps foremost, writing is your connection to the world, writing establishes you as a member of the human race with thoughts and feelings that are important, writing defines you in oh so many ways, and validates you. No matter what you write, it will always be uniquely yours and there is no better validation of your humanity that the thoughts you put down on paper.

Writing also keeps you sane, I think, in a world that is clearly spinning out of control, not a political statement, this, but an appraisal of the speed at which forces move and changes take place today, a speed of changes that makes us feel helpless, unable to establish our identities. Writing is your identity. It's the scent you leave on the trail that tells the other animals in the forest you exist and they better beware.

Writing is also cool fun, by the way. Yes, if you're keeping track, I did manage a new chapter of Delfina's Gold this week. That means I'm still one chapter behind on my schedule but I hope still able to catch up. And by the way, writing the chapter this week was pure torment--how could I possibly say writing is fun. Last week I proverbially slit my wrists and let the words pour out. Yet, there is a huge sense of satisfaction from the process. After awhile even slitting your wrists to produce another chapter is really fun. It's unique. It's totally mine. It's totally you once you take pen or laptop in hand.

As always, send me your thoughts, (after you've written them down). Click here and write!

October 27, 2008

Life Happens!

This past week has truly been one of the most stressful in recent memory. Within a day and a half, starting Monday, both of my laptops crashed, never to be revived again. If this has ever happened to you you know what I'm talking about; if it hasn't happened yet, get prepared; it's inevitable that it will.

For me, the week has been like mourning for a dead relative or close friend. The sense of loss is palpable. I found myself wandering around my office, staring out the window, not knowing what to do next, almost incapable of taking an action. This is not like me.

Sooner or later it sinks in that you have to do something. First step is assessing what's been lost. Generally speaking, I was in pretty good shape, I back up a lot if not regularly. Delfina's Gold was 98%-99% saved, in fact backed up in two different places. When all the dust settled it looks as if the only problems are that I must re-keyboard a 65-page document that is scheduled for publication next month by the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. Also gone forever are my notes for a multimedia presentation that I'll have to redo. All in all, not a great tragedy; just a passing inconvenience.

What is not a passing inconvenience, and may be the biggest tragedy, however, is the angst involved in buying, setting up and settling in with a new laptop. Because I was scheduled to do a lecture for writing students at University of California, Santa Barbara Thursday night, I rushed out to buy a new one. That's when the real disaster started. The only PCs on the market today are loaded with the dreaded Windows Vista operating system. Whoever created this monster should be shot; no, first drawn and quartered, then keelhauled, then shot. This is the worst product that's come out of Microsoft, and that's saying a lot when you think back on all the ill-conceived and poorly written software that's come out of that company.

I am seriously worried about the learning curve I'll have to go through to understand this operating system and the horrible updates of MS Office that go with it. Word is incomprehensible to me. It looks nothing like any version of Word I've ever worked with. If you go to Vista's control panel you can delete programs without knowing it because the icon does not indicate "Remove programs." Open Office might be my salvation.

And on and on. You get the idea. Stay away from Vista. And let me just say it has been hard to keep my language clean in writing about Vista. The bottom line here is that no new chapter of Delfina's Gold got written this past week so not I am behind schedule and behind the eight ball with this crummy operating system. Next week I'll let you know if I can get back on track. Meantime, let me know if you have had some bad Microsoft experiences and I might pass them along to Mr. Gates. Just click here to send me a message.

Unintended Consequences

Week two of my plan to finishing 15 chapters of Delfina's Gold before the end of the year. The goal was to eliminate as many distractions as possible in order to focus on my writing. What I've learned in the past two weeks is that not all distractions are created equal and some of them bring unintended consequence that must be dealt with along the way.

Writers want to writes. That sounds like a pretty simple and unassailable premise. Trouble is, it doesn't work in today's world of publishing. To be successful, a writer must wear many hats, including those of a publicist and marketer. So some distractions are unavoidable if a writer has any hope of success.

So this past week I had to talk time away from drafting my new chapters in order to set some marketing wheels in motion that will keep sales of Dream Helper, the first novel in the trilogy selling. I agreed to participate on an authors' panel at a charity luncheon and do a drive time radio interview with the top AM station in our market. The interview we'll do live will be schedules to time in with holiday gift sales for Dream Helper and that means time away from writing contacting bookstores to make sure they have stock on hand. The charity event will draw about 800 people and a sales room will be set up with desks for author signings.

A number of writers have come to me for advice on publishing their books. One sad, but consistent refrain comes from almost all of them: "I don't want to be bothered promoting my book; all I want to do is write." I have to tell them that I suspect they won't succeed with that approach, and further more there's really nothing Rincon Publishing can do to help them unless they are willing to take the responsibility for their own success. So here is one of the unintended consequences of today's writing world: You can no longer sit back, take you leisurely time writing the best book possible and then expect someone else to make a Best Seller of it for you. If you accept the premise that being a writer is also wearing a number of other hats, another unintended consequence is all the great people you meet and invitation you get to talk about your work.

And, oh, yes, almost forgot. This week I wrote two new chapters and revised three others. Now there are eleven chapters to write in the eleven weeks before the first of the year.

Please get in touch with your thoughts by clicking here. I want to hear from you.

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October 11, 2008

Good Progress, Week I

It was a good kickoff week for my commitment to produce 15 new chapters of Delfina's Gold before the end of the year. If you visited my blog last week you know that I've made a vow to limit distractions and write at -- what is for me -- a hectic pace. So How did I do.

First for the distractions. Since it was the first week of my plan it wasn't able to eliminate many distractions so I decided to write around them. On Monday morning I did a lecture for the Santa Barbara Historical Museum to a lively group of Elderhostel visitors. On Wednesday I took the same group on a tour of the museum's wonderful galleries. Distractions they were, but they also inspire me.My fictional historical novels are based in Santa Barbara and even though the plot of Delfina's Gold takes my characters to many places in California and around the world, it's always good to share our history with tourists.

During the week I worked for two hours with my writing coach and attended the Saturday morning weekend meeting of the Lion's Den, Shelly Lowenkopf's legendary writing workshop. Feedback is invaluable for any writer and what I read on Saturday was very well received. Strokes to keep on writing.

So what did I actually accomplish? Two new chapters. Important ones that have to fit in a space I left for them and bridge the story from one character to the next. I used to be very rigid about writing every chapter in the proper sequence. No more! Sometimes a subject takes control and you have to get it on paper (is that an out of data phrase?) before it sours.

I also edited two older chapters and outlined the fifteen chapters I am committed to writing by New Years. That's an important subject. Some writers swear by writing solid outlines (not necessarily formal ones) before starting to draft a novel. Other are more inclined to wing it, figuring out "what happens next" as they go along and surprising themselves. I fall about halfway in between. For me, an outline sometimes feels restrictive and that scares me. But I know the theme of my novel, detailed bios of the characters, their arcs and the ending before I start (or soon after). But I allow my characters to decide for themselves how they will tell their stories and arrive at the ending. In writing Dream Helper, the protagonist told me the ending I planned was all wrong. She helped me rewrite it!

Please leave feedback about this blog by clicking here.

October 7, 2008

So you want to write a novel

I've been a little distracted lately, therefore late in posting on my blog. I guess a lot of people have been distracted lately, what with the mess on Wall Street and the circus that goes on every four years as we try to guess who the next best hope for the country is. And, oh yes, the coming angst as everyone begins to realize there is no money available for entertaining or gift-giving this holiday season.

The events of the past month (or is it the past twelve months) are major distractions, have no doubt. But we all face distractions at some level almost every day in our lives as we try to accomplish important goals. I know I do.

But however a writer approaches his or her work, a large commitment of time and effort is required. And it's hard work, work you would really rather put aside at times in order to do more pleasurable things, like watching your investments tank or sitting in front of your set while the talking heads go at it.

No matter what your distractions are, how you respond to them will often be the difference between success and failure as a novelist. If you're too easily distracted it might be best to find a different literary pursuit, poetry or short stories for instance.

I am well into first draft of Delfina's Gold, the sequel to Dream Helper. The new novel will be published next year, I promised that on the back page of Dream Helper. Now, I have to live up to that schedule. I have committed to writing 15 chapters between now and Jan. 1, 2009.

Each week from now on I will post my progress for the week just ended. That will give you a chance to see on a more personal level how this process works. My aim is twofold: to give you an insight into novel writing and, oh yes, to keep me from getting distracted.

Let me know your feedback as we progress

September 3, 2008

Who Reads American Historical Fiction?

Funny you should ask. Last year I met with one of the Big Five editors of historical fiction trying to pitch her on Dream Helper. She told me no one read American historical fiction anymore. When I questioned her about that she told me the buyers of the two big national book chains told her no one was buying historical fiction set in the good ole US of A.

Maybe she's right. But if she is at least the following authors never would have received their Pulitzer Prize for Literature. Starting with Edith Wharton in 1921 for The Age of Innocence, here is my list: Gone With The Wind 1937, The Grapes of Wrath 1940, All The King's Men 1947, The Way West 1950, The Confessions of Nat Turner 1968, Angle of Repose 1972, The Killer Angels 1975, The Color Purple 1983, Ironweed 1984, Lonesome Dove, 1986, Beloved 1988. If I've missed anyone I apoligize and please let me know.

Astute readers may spot a trend in the above. That's right, no Pulitzer Prizes for American Historical Fiction after Big Box stores and the consolidation of American publishers from an awful lot to a precious few forced a change in the way people buy books because they changed the way books were promoted and sold. So which came first, a decline in the quality of American historical fiction? Or this new age of American publishing and book retailing? Also known as the decline of American book publishing.

Take your pick, it doesn't matter. If your a reader of historical fiction you're an endangered species no matter what past time and place you like to read about. If it's American historicals you favor you're almost toast. And yet there are a great number of wonderfully readable books being written in the genre today. One place to find them is at the Historical Novel Society. Check it out if you're looking for good reads that take you back in time.

What are some of your favorite American historical novels? Send me an email and let me know. Let's build a list of our favorites to share with each other. Perhaps we can convince the powers that be they're wrong so more brave writers will sit down at their laptops and bang out more good fiction.

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August 15, 2008

A Passion for History

Last weekend I participated in the Tall Ships Festival at Channel Islands Harbor. There were a half dozen tall ships in port, including the California state Tall Ship California. The star of the show without a doubt was the frigate HMS Bounty (or at least a reproduction of the famous ship). It is a three-master and is probably well know to most people as the ship used in "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies.

During the course of the day, while I was signing my book Dream Helper, I was approached by a number of men and women who wanted to talk about early California history--it was terrific and the hours few by. An older man came by my table with a sheet protector containing three old and yellowed photos in his hand. The shots were of a large scale model of HMS Bounty the man had helped build in the early 1930s for study shots of the Clark Gable/Charles Laughton/Franchot Tone 1935 movie, Mutiny on the Bounty. He was surprised when I told him another model had been built and taken to Santa Cruz Island in the Santa Barbara Channel, where parts of the movie were filmed.

Another man spend almost an hour at my table telling me some of the early history of Los Angeles and its settlers, some of whom were his ancestors.

At the same time that the Tall Ships were in port there was a Civil War reenactment going on just down the street. Imagine the sights all weekend of men and women walking around the harbor in period costumes that included 18th and 19th century sailor garb, pirates of both the male and female persuasion (the ladies were far sexier), and civil war soldiers and their southern belle ladies. What a great time.

I guess the point is that history is all around us. Sometimes it takes special occasions like the Tall Ships Festival to bring out people who want to share their own experiences. I'd like to think we could use this blog to share our experiences and thoughts about California history. Getting connected is simple; just use the Click here link to email me with anything you'd like to see posted about the early days of our great state. I'll make sure it gets uploaded. Not so hi-tech I know, but then we're talking about the early days when technology wasn't the driving force in our world. That was a time some of fondly remember.

Indeed, there are a lot of people in the Golden State who have a passion for history. If you're one of them give me an email and let me know. I want to build an online community for us history buffs.

July 28, 2008

Whose History is it?

I guess I've said this before: I am very pleased with the public's reaction to Dream Helper. The best compliment I've had was a phone call from the owner of an independent bookstore asking me when the sequel, Delfina's Gold, would be out because she has had buyers coming into her store already asking for it. (Give me a break I don't write that fast!)

But in meeting with readers at book clubs, not just in California, I am aware that my readers are marveling at the historic events they didn't know about.

There is an old saying that the winners always write the history!

Well, clearly, the Spaniards were the winners in their conflicts with the Native Americans in California. Among those winners were the Franciscan priests who ran the 21 missions along the California coast from San Diego to Sonoma. What really happened to the Indians readers seem to want to know and are unsure of. They've all heard about the romance of the Californian missions but apparently few know the sad Indian side of the story -- slavery, disease, near starvation, breaking up of families, mistreatment.

Among other things, Dream Helper has been praised for its evenhanded treatment of the culture clash of European conquistadors and, in the case of the Santa Barbara mission, the Chumash Indians. The priests didn't set out to exterminate the Chumash but that is what they did essentially.

According to church records, between 1786 and 1858, 4,771 Chumash Indians were baptized at the Santa Barbara Mission and from 1787 until 1841 there were 3,997 burials of Chumash neophytes. After the mission’s early years deaths consistently outnumbered births. The Santa Barbara Mission Gift Storedeclined to carry Dream Helper, and, while I think they're absolutely wrong, I can understand why. We all need to face up to historic realities, even if they don't paint a rosy picture of our side.

The first settlers of Los Angeles were mainly Blacks but today their decedents are often quoted as denying that fact. It's as if they want to rewrite history. Dream Helper took no sides and pulled no punches. It told a true story, in a fictional sense, and I'm proud of that. It's a story that transcends locality or region, it's a story of what happens to individuals when one culture overwhelms another. I mourn the loss of the Chumash but I doubt the Franciscans -- most of them at least -- intended the consequence of their good intentions.

Let me know what you think. Click Here

June 16, 2008

Authenticity

As writers, we strive to create a fictional world for our readers that is seamless. We take our material to workshops and conferences and reading groups in search of the place where listeners tell us "they fell out of the story." In other words where the "Suspension of disbelieve" has been interrupted and the reader is jolted back to the present. It's an easy pothole for a writer to fall into, but a damning one, because once lost, the reader becomes wary, on the prowl for other slip-ups, and isn't easily seduced back into the fictional world we've created.

The task of maintaining authenticity is a tougher burden on the historical fiction (and fantasy and science fiction) writer than it is for most other novelists. Contemporary authors have a wide open field of material, and if a contemporary character slips back into some older language patterns we might say the character is doing it to be quaint or to make a point or whatever, and forgive him or her. If a character from an Elizabethan English novel talks about atoms, we go ballistic, so to speak.

I spend more time researching the world my characters live in than I do in writing about it in the manuscript. It's essential in order to present my fictional world as accurately as possible so my readers will believe my characters. No detail is too small: in Dream Helper Cayatu's sister gives her a shell basket her mother wove before she died. Why not a ceramic jar her mother made? Because the Chumash Indians didn't have pottery and any mention of it would run the risk of Cayatu and my story losing credibility.

The subject of authenticity comes to mind for two reasons. The first is because one of my characters in my new novel Delfina's Gold finds himself in China in 1834 to trade furs and sandalwood for Chinese artifacts. But I don't know how he conducts the trade. I'm not a Chinese historian (nor a historian of China), but I can't imagine this character being allowed to wall the streets of Canton looking for Chinese antique stores. If you can help me here send an email.

The second reason stems from a novel that was an Editor's Choice in a recent Historical Novel Society publication. It was a story of a young African woman, caught up in the early slave trade and brought to the colonies before the Revolutionary Way. It's an intriguing story topic for sure, but this young woman is allowed to see and do things that stretch our credibility to its limits. Worse, she used contemporary language, some of it slang, that could not have existed in the 1760s and if it had she wouldn't have had any access to it. Bottom line: A good story for me ruined by a lack of authenticity.

On the other hand, another Historical Novels Society recommendation, The Black Dove, by Steve Hockensmith, is a historical mystery sent in late 19th century Chinatown in San Francisco. You may or may not love the story but there isn't a single word in the novel that isn't authentic and that's what compelled me to read on to the conclusion because I was walking the streets of Old S.F. with the sleuths.

Next time we'll blog about other elements of historical fiction. Feel free at any time to chime in with your thoughts and criticisms. Email me at willard@rinconpublishing.com.

Cheers,
Willard

May 27, 2008

Viva Book Clubs!

Last week I was privileged to lead a book Club in St. Louis, Missouri, a bit of a stretch from my home in California, but well worth it. Authors don't have a lot of opportunities to sit down and listen to their readers, but the experience was invaluable.

This book club was composed of both men and women. They brought to the discussion of Dream Helper, A Novel of Early California a wide range of perspectives. What I was most interested in learning was how the story would play in the Midwest where many—perhaps most—people are unfamiliar with California's early history.

The St. Louis book club found Dream Helper to be a universal story of two cultures in conflict and the effects that conflict had on individuals from both sides caught up in it. They were quite vocal in discussing the plight of Native American peoples throughout North America and found the story of the Chumash Indians told In my novel to be a strong example of the arrogance of Europeans who pioneered our new nation.

They also had lively discussions about the religious attitudes of the early Nineteenth Century, debating how the good intentions of the Franciscan missionaries could have gone so wrong.

Their response to the novel was very positive but that doesn't mean they were all in lock step in their comments. And that's one of the great values of a book club. For me, watching them share their ideas and opinions, agreeing and disagreeing on character motivations—as if the characters were alive—was eye-opening. I am convinced that any author can benefit from watching a group of readers in action. But more than that, I think serious fiction readers should seek out book clubs to join so they can sharpen their analytical skills.

And don't overlook the social benefits of book clubs: the one I attended in St. Louis certainly had a good time with wine and hors d'oeuvres before the meeting and a yummy desert when their discussions were done. Try it, I think you'll enjoy book clubbing if you aren't doing so already.

Tell me about your book club experiences. Click here

Cheers,
Willard

May 15, 2008

How Important Are Characters?

Think about this: after you've read a great novel is it the plot your remember or the great characters? As years roll by we may forget the specifics of a story but just mention a favorite character's name and it brings a smile.Emma Bovary, Scarlett O'hara, Jay Gatesby, Captain Ahab and Tom Joad are among my very favorites that stand out. I'm sure you have your own. Send me an email with your favorites.

Writing historical fiction poses a challenge in character development. Why? Well, to start with, historical fiction writers usually include some real people as part of their story. Those people may be well known, with vivid personalities, strong physical characteristics and perhaps a few psychological quirks. The writer has to find a way to utilize there real people to tell his story without disturbing the truth we know about them.

In Delfina's Gold, the novel I'm currently writing, among the real charaters that bring the story to life, at least two are controversial; Johann August Sutter and Major John Charles Frémont. Sutter, the Swiss who built an empire in the Sacramento Valley only to see it torn asunder by the hoards of gold seekers who came over the Sierra, was considered by some to be a con artist; others see him as a sincere, hard worker determined to survive in Mexican California.

Frémont was the enigmatic soldier who just about single-handedly brought the Mexican-American War to Alta California. He had the backing of a powerful U.S. Senator and a brilliant wife who made her man "look good" in just about every situation although many historians paint him as darkly brooding.

You'll have to wait awhile to see how I treat these two, but it's the fictional characters that drive Delfina's Gold relentlessly forward. There are four or five main characters in the story, each lugging around his or her emotional baggage, and a "colorful" supporting cast to go with them. Plotting the novel comes easily, but trying to bring imaginary characters to life, in real situations a reader can relate to despite the fact they lived in a different era, and show them in strong conflict so you and my other readers can laugh and cry and love and struggle and root or hate them is my goal, my passion whenever I get my hands on the old laptop.

Cheers for now,
Willard

May 5, 2008

Historical Research -- The First Person Approach

Even though I get off point sometimes this blog is about California history and historic fiction writing. Both subjects require research, a subject I used to shudder at the mere mention off as a teenager, but now find quite fascinating.

I've discovered a treasure chest of first hand accounts of life in early California, written by the men and women who actually witnessed and experienced our history in the making. For the most part they make fascinating reading. I'll mention a few here that I think are pretty generally available at public libraries. You can also find some of them at used bookstores and online at both Amazon.com and Abebooks.com.

Naturally the grand daddy of first hand accounts of Early California is Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. It is must reading. In fact, if you only read one book of early California history, this is the one.

Right now I'm in the process of writing Delfina's Gold, the second novel in my Chronicles of California series, so I'm focused on the period between 1830 and 1846. There are several great sources of first hand accounts of this period in Mexican California. Two from Heyday Books in San Francisco are especially interesting. Lands of Promise and Despair is a collection of short essays written during the Spanish and Mexican periods of our history. They are accompanied by summaries and interpretation by co-editors Rose Marie Beebe and Robert M. Senkewicz.

That same duo teamed up to edit The History of California by Antonio María Osio. Osio came to Alta California in the 1830s and was associated with all the important Mexican men of his time. His history was written as a (long) letter to Father José María Suárez de Real describing all that he saw during the Mexican period.

Both these accounts are from the perspective of the Californios. Two Yankee accounts of the early days are Life in California by Alfred Robinson, a hide and tallow trader for the Boston firm of Bryant & Sturgis. From his base in Santa Barbara, where his marriage to one of José de la Guerra's beautiful daughters was described in Two Years Before the Mast, Robinson traveled the length and breath of Alta California recording his impressions.

And finally, for now, William Heath Davis's masterful Seventy-five Years in California describes live in the Golden State from his arrival in the 1830s into the 20th Century.

Do you have any favorite first hand accounts of California history? I'd like to hear about them if you do. Click here to send me a message. I'll post it so you can share it with other history fans. And please don't forget Dream Helper. My novel is doing well but we can always use more readers.

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Cheers,
Willard

April 21, 2008

Read Any Good Books Lately?

There is something seriously wrong in the book publishing industry today--not just in the U.S. but globally. Consider: Each year there are more books published (one ever 90 minutes by one count) than the previous year and each year the number of people who admit to reading books (as if it were a bad habit) dwindles. Ever wonder why? It might be because the reading public is getting tired of all the trash large commercial publishers are putting out. For sure there are many good books being written; it's just that its hard to find the golden nuggets amongst all the gravel.

The commercial publishing industry's dirty little secret is that of all the new books published each year more than 70% fail to sell 500 copies. And most fail to sell 100. Commercial publishers make their income from Celeb tell-alls and bios of people, most of whom will be forgotten when the books go out of print. No wonder the reading public is put off!

So how do you find a good book, especially a good novel when you're ready to settle in for an evening's read? A visit to your local BIG BOX BOOKSTORE will more than likely confuse more than help. Keep in mind that the only reason books are pile up in the front of a store like Borders or Barnes & Noble is that publishers paid big bucks to put them there -- not because anyone thought they were great reads. Book reviews in your local Sunday newspaper are another way, except that a growing list of newspaper publishers are dropping their book sections.

If you're lucky enough to have an independently owned bookstore in your community your may be in luck. But local bookstores are an endangered species these days. Each month more of them are forced out of business by the economics of competing with BIG BOX BOOKSTORES and on-line retailers, some of who now believe we should read our books electronically on handheld devices. Really!

So here's my best advice. Use the Web to find a good summer read. No matter what your preference, you can find good recommendations by going to some quality websites. In the coming weeks I'll review some of my favorite books, but in the meantime, for your historical fiction fans, here are some websites your should check out.

Historical Novel Society
Historical Fiction Network
Western Writer
Author's Den
Good Reads

Have a great read!
Willard

I'd like to hear from you about some of your favorite books and your views of the state of the publishing industry today. Just click here to send me your message and I'll post them as they come in.

April 10, 2008

Just a few words about Dream Helper, my new historical novel.

DREAM HELPER, A Novel of Early California, has done quite well in the first months of distribution. We started out making it available in the Santa Barbara/Ventura county area because DREAM HELPER is set at the Santa Barbara Mission and presidio in the early years of the 19th Century.

It describes the plight of a wonderful young Chumash Indian woman who is baptized at the mission and then finds herself trapped there. If you want to know more about the novel click here. You can buy it at amazon.com, www.authorsden.com/, www.writerswest.com/ right here at Rincon Publishing, as well as local bookstores.

DREAM HELPER received a great review in the Santa Barbara Independent. The review said: "...The mixture of historical setting and fictional narrative makes Dream Helper the vivid story that it is. Thompson's goal was to never let the history get in the way of a good story, and he has accomplished that with style..."

Elena Gray-Blanc, the reviewer, went on to say, "The characters in Dream Helper are memorable, the action is intense, and the poignant portrayal of a culture's last struggle for survival is worth the read." My thanks to Elena for the nice words. But I need more reader reaction--yours. Please click here to let me know what you think of DREAM HELPER.

And now it's on to the next novel in The Chronicles of California. It's title is DELFINA'S GOLD and will bring to life a number of historical characters from the Mexican Period of California and add some fascinating fictitious characters and even some old friends from DREAM HELPER. This is an ambitious project; in all I want to trace the history of California all the way into the 20th Century. So please give me your feedback on DREAM HELPER. And feel free to share any historical info you like or ask any questions you want this community to help you with.

Enjoy The Journey, Willard

If you're a fan of California historical fiction, a Western history buff or just a reader who enjoys reading fine literary novels of adventure and romance, you've come to the right website.

Chronicles of California is a new website featuring the historical novels of Willard Thompson, author of Dream Helper, the first book in the Chronicles. (read a sample of Dream Helper) Thompson is an award winning author who writes both historical fiction and non-fiction.

The site will provide visitors with a place to read about current and upcoming novels in the Chronicles of California series, engage in a dialog with the author and other readers about the novels, exchange information and opinions about California and Western history and historical research, Check in to book club activities and other events where Willard Thompson will be speaking.

You'll be able to buy Chronicles of California novels on line, starting with Dream Helper, a novel of early California that puts its readers into the lives of early settlers of Santa Barbara — The Franciscan Priests, Spanish officers of the King of Spain's army and the Mexican men and women who were the first occupants of the Royal Presidio — all seen through the eyes of a young Chumash Indian woman.

Following Dream Helper, Delfina's Gold will be published in 2009. With a weak Mexican government in control of California, traders flock to her shores from New England in pursuit of cattle hides and tallow. Russian sea otter hunters eye the land covetously from their base in northern California and Englishmen from Hudson Bay grow bold in search of furs. When American mountain men crossing the Sierra Nevada Mountains are added to the mix, California is up for grabs.

When historic figures Thomas O. Larkin, Augustus Sutter and Major John Charles Frèmont enter the story the stage is set for a showdown of epic proportion.

So bookmark this page and come back often. We're still building the site and new features and links will be added over the next weeks and months. We want this site to be a comfortable place for all our history buff friends to hang out and form a community with like-minded readers. Let us know how we're doing.

Want to send Willard Feedback? Click here

Get an Autographed Copy
After you buy a copy of Dream Helper, A Novel of Early California by going to the Buy Now page, you will be able to request a personalized copy autographed by author Willard Thompson.