In the lead up to the HNSA 2021 Virtual Conference, G.S. Johnston recently interviewed Nadine Davidoff who will be facilitating a Manuscript Bootcamp. Nadine Davidoff is a freelance book editor and writing teacher with extensive trade publishing experience. She has worked as a senior editor at Random House and a commissioning editor at Black Inc.
HNSA’s podcast Imagining the Past is back for another series in 2021. In this week’s episode, G.S. Johnston is joined by Steven Conte. Steven speaks about planning and executing The Tolstoy Estate (which was recently longlisted for the ARA Historical Novel Prize), writing ‘behind the enemy lines’, the risks of shaking up a novel’s structure, the Gurya Ghost and
HNSA’s podcast Imagining the Past is back for another series in 2021. In this week’s episode, G.S. Johnston is joined by Julie Janson. Julie discusses her recent novel, Benevolence, the challenges of writing First Nation’s historical fiction, and of First Nation’s writers finding publishers. Julie is a Burruberongal woman of Darug nation. She is a novelist, playwright, and poet.
The HNSA, in partnership with our generous sponsor, ARA Group, has expanded the ARA Historical Novel Prize to include a category for outstanding Children and Young Adult (CYA) literature, bringing the total prize monies to $100,000. Only in its’s second year of operation, it’s now the richest genre based literary award. This month, we spoke to Paul McDonald, Chair
The allure of France has often inspired historical novelists to conjure the romance and tumult of its history. Kate Forsyth’s novel, The Blue Rose, transports the reader to the perils of the French Revolution and the exotic world of Imperial China. Natasha Lester’s The French Photographer deals with more recent history of World War II France and America. In this
What are the challenges faced in researching pre-history when there are no written records? How do you approach interpreting Middle Age chronicles? Or choose between a plethora of conflicting primary sources when delving into modern history? In this week’s episode of the Imagining the Past podcast, Isolde Martyn investigates the research challenges faced by Ilka Tampke, Gillian Polack and Pamela Hart when
Writing historical crime fiction is like a treasure hunt for authors who dig up nuggets from the past to recreate old crimes and mysteries, both real and imaginary. How do authors lay down clues to keep readers (and the central characters) guessing whodunit? How do you balance the interlacing stories of detective, murderer and victim?
More and more historical novels are being adapted for screen, complete with lavish production values and high profile stars. What is the secret to writing scripts compared to books? How do scriptwriters condense intricate plots into a few hours screen time while maintaining complexity of characters and themes? What elements are producers searching for when
This week’s episode of the Imagining the Past podcast was recorded during the 2019 HNSA conference in Parramatta, which was the second penal settlement established in Australia. When Thomas and Meg Keneally decided to set their Monsarratt detective series in Paramatta, Meg sought the assistance of local historian, Gay Hendrikson, to dig into the township’s history. Gillian Polack learns
A stark Australian landscape is both menacing and beautiful in Rachel Leary’s Bridget Crack with a protagonist who must overcome physical and psychological threats. David Whish-Wilson’s The Coves explores the brutality of Australian renegades in the unlawful streets of 19th century San Francisco while Stephanie Parkyn’s Into the World forces her heroine to face ocean hazards while striving to protect a dangerous personal secret. In
