Ali Alizadeh is an author and scholar. His books include a novel about Joan of Arc, The Last Days of Jeanne d’Arc, described as ‘miraculous’ in The Sydney Morning Herald; ‘extraordinary’ in Australian Book Review; and longlisted for the Australian Literature Society (ALS) Gold Medal. His other books include Iran, My Grandfather, a semi-fictional history
‘Pitch contest entries are now full. All places have been taken.’ I flounce back into my chair, cursing my hesitation about entering this contest. Now I’ve missed out! Too slow, too indecisive, too busy with work to think about it properly. Of course, now I can’t enter it is the very thing I want to
Just as we immerse ourselves in writing of an historical time period, our characters emerging onto the pages to give the reader some sense of reality, there are people who, rather than writing about history, aim to actually live it. These people are known as historical re-enactors and as of 2016, the Australia Living History
It’s Sunday morning, the final day of the conference. You’re exhausted from the previous day’s packed program, yet strangely exhilarated, and wanting to make the most of the few remaining hours of HNSA 2019. You’ve made a host of new friends and you are huddled together, in the foyer, balancing coffee cups, while trying to
Do you ever lift a book to your nose and inhale deeply? No? Seriously? You are missing out! Take this novel on my desk for instance. Lean in closer. Can you smell the scent of something mysterious, a little bit magical? A dash of fairy tale and a waft of the historical? That, my friend,
After the excitement of the first day’s presentations at the Historical Novel Society Australasia Conference on Saturday 26 October, you’ll have the opportunity to join other writers and readers at the Conference dinner. The guest speaker at the dinner will be Anna Campbell, bestselling historical romance author. Anna was born in Brisbane, and grew up
Ernest Hemingway. Virigina Woolf. Herman Melville. Jean Rhys. Thomas Hardy. DH Lawrence. Olga Masters, Gabriel Garcia Marquez… What do these literary luminaries have in common? At one time or another, each mastered the highly precise art form of the short story. In an age when readers (and writers) have never been so ‘time poor’, the
Have you ever felt you’re swimming in circles? Been at a fork in the river and not sure which stream to follow? You are not alone! For me – an avid reader of historical novels, an aspiring author (and admittedly also a Pisces) – trying to decide which stream to choose at the forthcoming HNSA Conference
Another giveaway! This month, our sponsor, Allen & Unwin, is offering a 3 book giveaway of The Jade Lily by Kirsty Manning, a novel in which the unravelling of family secrets leads back to Shanghai in World War II. Subscribe to our HNSA newsletter then comment on this post to enter the draw. Contest ends
By Patricia Leslie Sophie Masson AM is an award-winning author. War & Resistance is her latest historical novel for young adults, preceded most recently by Black Wings (the Greystanes Press 2018) and Jack of Spades( (Eagle Books 2017) which was shortlisted for the 2018 Davitt Awards. Sophie has published over 60 books. In between wordsmithing and publishing, she has been
