News & Interviews

What historical fiction means to me: Alison Goodman

‘We each read for our own recipe of delight, and I think an outstanding novel is when we find ourselves delighted in a new, original way.’ Award-winning author and New York Times best-selling fantasy novelist, Alison Goodman, is perhaps more likely to be found promenading in the Bath Guildhall ballroom, or promoting her novels in France

Read More »

What historical fiction means to me: Isolde Martyn

‘… historical novelists can step into the shadows where there are no torches.’ What a wonderful image this quote conjures of historical novelists! In this HNSA interview, Isolde Martyn, chair of the Plantagenet Society of Australia and award-winning author of eight historical novels, reveals her views on historical fiction and what it means to win

Read More »

What historical fiction means to me: Robyn Cadwallader

‘Historical fiction must always be shaped to some degree by the time in which it is written … I’m intrigued by the conversation between present and past that results; we learn about ourselves by thinking about the past.’ I love this quote which gives writers of historical fiction a real insight into how our contemporary

Read More »

What historical fiction means to me: Deborah Challinor

‘Kids should read and learn more about history. Our past informs our present, and today’s young people are tomorrow’s adults. It will be very useful if they are able to build on the past’s victories rather than repeat its failures.’ Deborah Challinor. Without a doubt we are living through historic and troubling times. Many parallels

Read More »

Author spotlight – and interview with Robyn Cadwallader

Prior to publishing her debut novel, The Anchoress, Robyn Cadwallader had published a poetry collection, I Painted Unafraid, and a non-fiction book about virginity and female agency in the Middle Ages. Her second novel, Book of Colours, was published in 2018. Robyn is the reviews editor for the online literary journal, Verity La. Robyn, thank

Read More »

Imagining the Past – Catherine Jinks

Listen to our interview with award-winning author Catherine Jinks, on the many balancing tricks faced by writers of historical fiction: how to find the right voice, choose those telling details, plot your story, and reveal your characters. Listen here Catherine was born in Brisbane in 1963. She grew up in Papua New Guinea and later

Read More »

Imagining the Past: with Pamela Hart

New podcast episode now live! In the latest episode of this year’s podcast series, our host Kelly Gardiner interviews Pamela Hart, an award-winning author of historical novels. Her most recent novel is The Desert Nurse, set in WWI, which tells the story of a nurse working with the ANZAC wounded in Egypt and the Sinai.

Read More »

Author Spotlight — an interview with Tea Cooper

Tea Cooper is the author of numerous novels set in Australia’s colonial past, including The Naturalist’s Daughter, The Currency Lass, and The Woman in the Green Dress. Her next novel, The Girl in the Painting, will be released in December 2019. Téa will be speaking at the HNSA conference session ‘Intertwining Lives Revealed: the mystery

Read More »

Author Spotlight – and interview with Michelle Aung Thin

Michelle Aung Thin will be a member of the panel Learning from History: subtexts in historical novels at this year’s HNSA Conference on Saturday 26 October 2019. One of Michelle’s key writing interests lies in the negotiation of ‘hybrid identity’, as exemplified in her absorbing novel, The Monsoon Bride, set in 1930s Rangoon. In an interview

Read More »

Author spotlight – an interview with Kate Forsyth

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,

Read More »

Join the HNSA Community

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Our foundation partner

Our Sponsors

HNSA Newsletter Updates

Subscribe to our newsletter for interviews, reviews, news and more!