The History Girls

PRESS RELEASE:

The History Girls (http://the-history-girls.blogspot.com) is a new joint blog by writers of historical fiction. 26 first-rate writers are lined up to produce a daily blogpost across a range of subjects in the genre. (photo by History Girl Caroline Lawrence)

Prize-winning, internationally renowned authors of YA historical fiction like Celia Rees ,Theresa Breslin, Mary Hooper and Eve Edwards (a.k.a. Julia Golding) are joined by both writers of historical fantasy for younger readers (Katherine Langrish, Katherine Roberts) and those with a primarily adult readership (Louise Berridge, Emma Darwin).

The group ranges from experienced established authors like Adèle Geras and Nicola Morgan to first-time novelists like Teresa Flavin, H.M. Castor and Imogen Robertson. Among us we cover every period from the Stone Age to World War Two (N M Browne, Leslie Wilson, Barbara Mitchelhill). And every period in between, Including the England of Alfred the Great (Sue Purkiss) the Tudors (Harriet Castor and Eve Edwards), George lll (Linda Buckley-Archer), Victoria (Eleanor Updale, Penny Dolan and Catherine Johnson), . Geographically we range from Iceland to Troy to the Wild West, via Venice and Ancient Rome and Egypt. (Marie-Louise Jensen, Adèle Geras, Caroline Lawrence x 2, Michelle Lovric and Dianne Hofmeyr)

We are going to run competitions to win copies of our books, regular feature on our first History teachers, favourite writers, inspirational objects etc. We’ll have reviews, interviews and guest blogs, from other best-selling authors of historical fiction – maybe even a man or two!

We don’t have a specifically feminist take on History; we just found when the idea was canvassed that the majority of the writers in this genre seemed to be women. The blog, The History Girls, goes live on 1st July, with an introductory post by Mary Hoffman on the inspiration for setting the group up, which she did with Michelle Lovric.

History Girls contributors and their specialisms:

Louise Berridge – Military history, 17th century + Crimea
Theresa Breslin – France, Spain, Renaissance Italy, World War I and World War II
N. M. Browne - 1st C AD (Celts and Romans) 5th Century (Arthur/Romano Brits) and 9th (Saxons/Vikings Alfred the Great.)
Linda Buckley-Archer – George III and the Court of Versailles
H. M. Castor – Tudor England
Emma Darwin – 19th century, Wars of the Roses
Penny Dolan – Victorian England
Eve Edwards - Tudor England
Teresa Flavin - Renaissance and Georgian London
Adele Geras – Ancient Greece and Troy, Victorian and early 20th Century
Mary Hoffman – Middle Ages and Renaiassance in Italy
Dianne Hofmeyr - Ancient Egypt, African History, early voyages of discovery including the dhow trade down the African coast.
Mary Hooper – Victorian England
Marie-Louise Jensen – Viking era, Tudor and Georgian
Catherine Johnson – 18th century and Victorian
Michelle Lovric – 18th and 19th century Venice, Peru
Kath Langrish – Viking era and Middle Ages
Caroline Lawrence – Ancient Rome + Wild West
Barbara Mitchelhill – 2nd World War + Shakespeare
Nicola Morgan – 19th century Scotland
Sue Purkiss – Alfred the Great + 19th century
Celia Rees – 17th and 18th century + Shakespeare
Katherine Roberts – Arthurian, Alexander the Great, Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia/Persia.
Imogen Robertson – Georgian England
Eleanor Updale – late 19th and early 20th century
Leslie Wilson – 2nd World War

With my love for historical fiction, I have immediately followed this blog, and I look forward to supporting their endeavour!