Historical versus Fictional

The blog party (and, you know, NaNo) continues!  Jenny wrote up a post over at The Penslayer with some fun facts behind the writing and publishing of The Shadow Things.  I'll be following suit in a day or two, but today's post here at Scribbles is actually not here at Scribbles at all.  Joy of Fullness of Joy was taking a hiatus from the internet this month, and she asked if I would write up a guest post for her blog.  The topic was historical fiction, which turned out to be ideal for the theme of the party.  Here's a sneaky peek:

historical fiction: just how historical

does it have to be? 

The necessity of historical accuracy is a pretty well accepted concept in today's literature.  In past centuries it was typical for "historians" to twist and embellish history according to their own bias, or whoever was funding their literary efforts; nowadays there is at least an ideal of presenting a true, unbiased picture of the past (ironic, rather, since the importance of history has reached such a low in the minds of our generation).  Although we still come across novels where events or characters are blatantly misrepresented, there is a tendency to scorn the author when the mistakes are recognized.  This much is agreed upon by most writers: extensive research is indispensable.

All the same, I think just about every writer who has any scruples has wondered, just how accurate do we have to be?   How many dates do we have to incorporate?  How many events can we get away with leaving out altogether?  How much care should we take in handling a historical figure?  Why can't Abraham Lincoln be a vampire slayer?  Do we really have to specify the exact type of food banqueters in 1317 would be eating?  Is it necessary to record every single skirmish of the Civil War our particular regiment went through?  Is the whole world going to end if we get our hero's weapon wrong?  Are we actually creating a tear in the space-time continuum with our inaccuracy?

read the rest on Joy's blog, and don't forget to leave a comment!

because comments make the world go 'round.

Blog Party Giveaway!

It's finally time!  November is here, which means NaNo, Thanksgiving, an enormous amount of birthdays, and the birthday party for The Soldier's Cross and The Shadow Things.  We told you it was going to be big, and hopefully we won't disappoint.  We've got posts lined up for the whole month: everything from question-and-answer sessions to marketing tips to discussions on Historical Fiction, Christianity, and the whole shebang.

To kick off the month, Jenny and I are hosting a giveaway of two copies (each) of our novels.  (Because who doesn't love a free book?)  There will be two winners at the end of the month, which gives everyone a better chance at winning a copy, and each winner will receive one copy of The Soldier's Cross and one copy of The Shadow Things.  With Christmas just around the bend, you can get started on gathering presents early.  Or you could, you know, keep it for yourself.  That always works, too.

At any rate, here's the scoop on how to enter.  It's quite simple, really.

Give the party a shout-out on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter - the more participants the merrier!  Then let us know by leaving a comment on this post, and you'll be entered to win.

If you have already read either The Soldier's Cross or The Shadow Things, post your thoughts in an Amazon or Goodreads review.  Then leave a second comment with a link to the review, and you will earn a second entry.  Reviews not written in November cannot be entered.

And that's it!  Hurry and get your entries in; you will win brownie points, at the very least, and hopefully shiny copies of both novels as well.  The giveaway closes November 30, so in the midst of the mad scribbling some of you will be doing, don't forget to take advantage of this as well!