The winner for Day 16 is Elizabeth. Congratulations!
Today is Day 16! Congratulations on the winners so far, but there are plenty of prizes left to come 🙂
The prize in the draw today is a signed, print copy of The Emperor’s Conspiracy, the first book in my Regency London series. There are three books in the series and they are connected, but can easily be read as standalones.
One thing I enjoyed when the book first came out was the readers who emailed me to let me know they had read the book thinking the idea of Napoleon trying to empty England of its gold was just my fictional plot, until they read the author’s note and realized it was a real conspiracy. The City of Smugglers was real, too. What was the most unexpected thing you’ve read in a novel that you found out later was historically accurate?
Sounds interesting – I like UK Regency set stories
Thanks, CeeCee. It was a lot of fun to write.
There are probably many such moments, but mine comes from a recently read novel Tiffany Blues. The fact that the Tiffany mansion was burned down and no cause was ever found. BTW, not a spoiler for the book because in the Tiffany Blues (by M J Rose) the author’s notes come at the beginning of the book.
(Don’t enter me in the drawing since I’ve already been lucky this week. 🙂 )
I didn’t know that, Riley! I enjoy MJ Rose, so I’ll hunt that book down.
Sounds like it would be a very interesting book. I would love to read it.
Good luck, Elizabeth. And it was a fascinating plot to research.
Congratulations, Elizabeth, you’re the lucky winner today. I’ll be in touch to send you your signed copy.
I have looked up all the events in your historical fiction – Susana, the assassination plot, the Zulu war etc. it’s always fun for me to see how you took an event and were able to capture it in a story! I enjoy researching how it’s changed from the original event!
Thank you, Megan. I’ve always been passionate about history, and I love weaving real history into my fiction. I have personally learned a lot of real history in fictional books. An amazing amount, actually. And really enjoyed doing it.
While I’ve been surprised to learn of the accuracy of events many times, it’s hard to put my finger on just one. Okay, I’ll say that I was surprised to learn that elevators were around as early as the 1850s. I came to learn this when I read Colson Whitehead’s Underground Railroad.
Have you read Colson Whitehead’s The Intuitionist? One of my favorite books ever. And it’s all about elevators 🙂
I have not read that, but thank you for the recommendation!
Sounds like an excellent read.
Thanks, Carol. I hope so! 🙂
Aside from your books, which I’ve just read recently, there was a story in Reader’s Digest, which I later found out was based on real events (I think, but am not sure, that it was titled “One Small Candle”). There are many reasons that book is stuck in my memory, but that’s the only one I’ve read that is in there. I’ve read so many books over the years, that I can’t point to any one book and say “This one”. I know there had to have been, however. Especially, books about the American Revolution, and about our Civil War.
It’s good when you’re spoilt for choice, J.Lee 🙂
I don’t have a specific historical event, but something similar. I read a lot of fantasy, and I always like when I learn some new bit of mythology and can go. “Oh, that was in such-and-such!”
I’ve gotten to the point where I start googling all sorts of events/myths from the things I read to see if they are based on anything or just purely from the author’s imagination.
That is also fun, Jen! I used Norse mythology in my fantasy Mistress of the Wind, as well as some old myths about the Wind Hag. It was a lot of fun incorporating them into the story.
I never knew about the Italian resistance during WWII; thought it was a well-imagined fiction until I looked it up 🤦🏻♀️
That’s an awesome example, Debbie!
Not sure but thanks for the chance
My pleasure, Gail. Good luck.
Not sure. But thanks for chance.
Tough question. Many things. I was horrified to learn that women had no rights to their children in the past. Men could take them away. The state could take them away. Yikes.
That’s why we have to remember the women who fought and died for our rights and never take them for granted!
Amen!