Sunday, March 30, 2008

HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY CONFERENCE

In a couple of weeks' time (April 12th), the Historical Novel Society will be holding its 6th conference at the National Railway Museum in York. http://www.nrm-events.org.uk/ I've copied and pasted the programme below. There may still be places available for any latecomers wishing to go. You can check for details at the HNS website. http://www.historicalnovelsociety.org/I've been a member of the HNS for ummm.... well since the mid 1990's anyway when it was founded by Richard Lee to raise the profile of historical fiction and rescue its reputation. I attended the first ever conference at Kirby Hall and gave a talk in medieval dress. Bernard Cornwell was there too and it was a great day - especially for historical fiction which had been in the doldrums. I sincerely believe that Richard's founding of the HNS made a strong contribution to turning the perception of the genre around.
I've also spoken for the HNS at a mini conference held in 2000 on the site of the battle of Hastings, with Helen Hollick and Deryn Lake among others. This year I'll be doing a double act with Akashic consultant Alison King as we discuss the 'time travel' method of research and our interractions and interviews with people from the past. We don't know what will happen when we're 'on air' but we're hoping it'll go well. The programme looks very interesting with something for everyone and a great venue. Hope to see some of you there!

An Akashic Record session in progress

Saturday, 12th April 2008
National Railway Museum, York

Programme:

9.15-10.00
Suzannah Dunn is not an historical novelist. Her words, not ours. Find out why as she talks about her two novels The Queen of Subtleties and The Sixth Wife and also gives us a preview of her forthcoming novel, The Queen’s Sorrow.

10.15-11.00
Crème de la Crime is already a major player in sharp crime fiction, including historical crime. Lynne Patrick tells us about this exciting new publisher and the kinds of historical fiction she wants to publish.

Break

11.15-12.00
Railway Memories.
The National Railway Museum is the appropriate venue to meet Andrew Martin, author of four crime novels, the latest of which is Murder at Deviation Junction. They arose from Andrew’s memories of the last days of York as a great railway town when you didn't need a railway museum because the whole territory around the station was bustling with activity.

Lunch

During which, Crème de la Crime launches The Unquiet Heart by Gordon Ferris, his follow-up to Truth Dare Kill.

1.45-2.45
1) Historical Fiction: The Next Ten Years.
A panel of ‘new’ writers, Sarah Bower (The Needle in the Blood), Roz Southey (Broken Harmony) and Russell Whitfield (Gladiatrix) discuss their paths to publication and what they see as the future of historical fiction. Audience participation is more than welcome in what is guaranteed to be a lively debate.

2) Rewriting Women’s History.
To a large extent, women have been written out of history: their lives and deeds have become lost to us. To uncover the buried histories of women, historical novelists must act as detectives, study the sparse clues that have been handed down to us, learn to read between the lines and fill in the blanks. Authors Jude Morgan and Melinda Hammond, and freelance reader and editor specialising in historical fiction jay Dixon join Mary Sharratt (The Vanishing Point) to discuss their unique take on rewriting women back into history.

Break

3.00-3.45
An Accomplished Novelist
From Hector Berlioz to Charles II, the subject and style of Jude Morgan’s novels are rich and varied. His latest novel, An Accomplished Woman, is a witty homage to Regency Romances and Jane Austen.

3.45-4:45
Beyond The Looking Glass.
What if history was recorded on the ether? What if some people could actually read those records? What effect would it have on historical research? Award-winning author Elizabeth Chadwick and Akashic consultant Alison King discuss and demonstrate the use of this unusual resource.

The Conference ends at 5pm.

1 comment:

Marg said...: Sounds good! Wish I could go to something like that. Instead I will have to live vicariously through others!; 4:03 am

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING

" Wow! I feel like someone used to watching movies in black and white but has just seen the first one in technicolor! " A personal letter from a reader.

"The Winter Crown ...will, I have no doubt, become the definitive fictional account of this remarkable woman.' ..." I’ve read a fair few fictional depictions of Henry II over the years and I must say that his portrait in The Winter Crown has the most authentic feel of them all."
Kate Atherton, author of For Winters Night blog.

"Eeanor’s life story has been told many times over in historical novels but rarely with such insight, emotional intensity and page-turning readability." Pam Norfolk, Lancashire Evening Post.

"In the world of the arts, the Black Legend and the Golden Myth still hold sway, as seen in novels, such as Alison Weir's, which seek to portray both the scandalous, adulterous queen of legend and the powerful female ruler. Historians may shake their heads at the perpetuation of such myths, but many historical novelists such as Sharon Kay Penman and Elizabeth Chadwick are seeking to apply modern scholarship to their fiction, and consequently avoid the most egregious of the legends that surround Eleanor."

Professor Michael R. Evans in Inventing Eleanor - Bloomsbury Academic.

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE SUMMER QUEEN

"What I loved about this novel, and I have felt this way about all of Elizabeth’s novels that I have read, is that she does not pander to stereotypes or write scandal for the sake of it. The historical Eleanor is defamed beyond belief- a whore chasing anything in trousers, a woman who committed incest with her uncle, a woman who was ‘ahead of her time’, and so on. Elizabeth’s Alienor is none of these things. She is treated fairly, as a woman of her own time, written in a believable way. Elizabeth does not go for scandal because she does not need to- the writing in this novel makes that very clear. Her scene setting is lovely, her character development top notch, and the book is a compulsive page turner. I couldn’t put it down." Sarah Bell

."The Summer Queen is a fabulous novel based on the most up-to-date and meticulous research. This is historical fiction at its best and I loved every page of it." Kate Atherton, blogger.

"I have read just about everything I can about Eleanor and enjoyed both biographical and fictional accounts of her life but I must say that your creation of Eleanor is the most compelling." Reader from Australia

"I loved the story; I loved the way the author wrote Alienor as a woman of her times instead of a thoroughly modern independent woman, or a slut in chase of anything in pants. As with all Chadwick novels, there's also the added plus of being sucked into another century with the sights, smells and sounds that wrap up a darn-near perfect reading experience. I couldn't put it down, and very sorry I'm going to have to wait for the next installment. Reader from the USA

"Meticulous research and strong storytelling." Woman & Home
"A rich and compelling read. " Candis Magazine

"I often see the expressions, `fleshing out the history' and `making it real', and they more than apply here...the main aspect that made me keep turning the pages and burning the midnight oil? The things that I didn't know about Alienor.." Reader from Australia

"Chadwick has succeeded where many other novelists have failed by giving us not just the legend but the very human young woman – intelligent, determined, witty and sexy." Pam Norfolk. Lancashire Evening Post.