As I’m getting together my own holiday lists, I thought I’d take some time to suggest gifts for those of you who are about to head out to the stores. As a writer, its probably a bit self-serving of me to mention that books make great gifts, but they do. They’re easy to order, easier to wrap, and can be highly personalized for those that you love. Bookstores are wonderful places to shop–most of them have gadgets, goodies, and hot holiday drinks like egg nog lattes!

Dads & Grandpas

Andrew Schaffer’s Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love. I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew at a recent convention, and he’s a fun guy with a quirky sense of humor that I think will carry over beautifully into his book. I cracked up just reading some of the blurb anecdotes.

Moms & Grandmas

Kristina McMorris’ Letters from Home is a World War II love story based on letters that her grandparents exchanged. It’s already won a dozen national literary awards and it hasn’t even been released yet! You can pre-order it now at Amazon, but if you need something to wrap up and put under the tree, I also recommend Furious Love, the story of Liz Taylor and Richard Burton’s relationship. It’s filled with juicy details that puts the current obsession with Brangelina to shame. It also has a nostalgia for the sixties that will make you want to watch Mad Men when you’re done.

Friends, Sisters & Daughters

You didn’t think I’d get through this post without recommending that you buy Lily of the Nile: A Novel of Cleopatra’s Daughter, did you? The reviews are starting to trickle in and they’re all stellar. Obviously, I think it’s a very special book about a young girl’s journey from prisoner to queen. You can pre-order it now, but again, if you’re in dire need of something to put under the tree, I have about a bajillion recommendations but the top two I’m going to recommend either Philippa Gregory’s The Red Queen or Mindy Klasky’s As You Wish series. The former is deep, dark, historical fiction. The latter is light fantastical romantic comedy! (And if you’re looking for something steamy to buy for your friends, you can always pick up the award nominated Poisoned Kisses by some chick named Stephanie Draven.)

The May issue of SOLANDER asks why historical fiction doesn’t sell as well as teen vampire books; I think part of the answer is to be found within SOLANDER’s pages. Here, as elsewhere in the historical fiction world, the tone many writers take is akin to that of cranky adults scolding young children to eat their vegetables and forego cake.

I was particularly struck by the Letters section in which HNS Member Barry Webb takes to task the writers of historical mysteries set in Ancient Egypt & Rome for being set “into a culture where detective style investigations didn’t take place” and then goes on to criticize best-selling author Wilbur Smith.

I cite this not to single out Mr. Webb or to dispute his right to like what he likes, but to use his comments as an example of two unfortunate attitudes I’d like to discourage in my fellow historical fiction authors. First, we should approach history with far more humility. Second, we should avoid destructive attitudes that undermine the commercialism of the genre.

With regard to Mr. Webb’s first point: that detective investigations didn’t take place in ancient Rome is not a foregone conclusion. While it is true that the Romans didn’t even have the equivalent of a police force until the Augustan Age and that the Romans were untroubled by murders that would demand explanation in the modern world, the fact remains that our own criminal justice system derives, in part, from the Romans. They did have trials. They were interested in justice. And most importantly, the ancient Romans weren’t another species.

We are often struck dumb by the differences between our culture and theirs, when we ought to be humbled at how much we are the same. To insist that no person in ancient Rome could have had an instinct to solve mysteries in detective-like fashion is a profoundly presumptuous point of view–one that probably alienates readers and adds nothing to our understanding of history.

To the second point, there are all sorts of styles of historical fiction, and we ought not marginalize the flavors we don’t prefer. I believe it’s inherently destructive to the commercial prospects of the genre to imply that the novels of Wilbur Smith are somehow less respectable than those of Colleen McCullough because the latter hews to an enumerative style and the former combines epochs to create epic stories. Both of these authors have seen commercial success and I’ve enjoyed each of them; their audiences overlap. McCullough may have penned the most scholarly fiction written about ancient Rome, but there isn’t a single page of that series that could compete head-to-head with Wilbur Smith on an emotional level. Wilbur Smith’s River God enchanted a generation of readers who might not otherwise have ever picked up a book about Ancient Egypt, and he’s to be commended for it, not condemned.

As writers it’s our job to serve up a literary banquet. Some of our guests are going to like asparagus and some of them are going to like sweets, and some of them are going to want some of each. If we want to make the commercial market more viable for historical fiction, it seems to me that we ought to encourage the diversity, not rail against it.

Historical fiction doesn’t have to be good for us. It doesn’t have to be filled with fiber. It’s sufficient that it rouses an interest in the time period. That it teaches a little bit and inspires the reader to learn more. It is fiction. It is meant to fill in all the sweet spaces that history leaves blank. This kind of confection can’t rot your teeth, so let them eat cake!

My story Limbo appeared in Issue 8 of Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show, and the reviews are in:

“Limbo” is a warm and wonderful treat and is the highlight of this issue. — Jim Steel from The Fix

Victory is mine! Victory is mine. Great day in the morning, People, Victory is mine…. I drink from the keg of glory. Bring me the finest low carb muffins and bagels in all the land. Someone give me a river to forge or a serpent to slay.

In spite of my misgivings about the book’s pacing and god knows how many typos I didn’t catch, not to mention the fact that my manuscript ballooned into 130K when transferred to MicrosoftWord, I had it printed out at FedExKinkos, boxed up, and shipped to the editor at LUNA Books.

Yesterday, I was a nervous wreck. I always am when I send out a manuscript for the first time. My hands literally shake as I hand off at least a year’s worth of work for the judgment of hard nosed professionals.

But the day after, I always feel great. Today is that day. I met my deadline, I got a book off my desk (that means I have two currently in circulation), and I’m ready to take on my next project!

Huge weight off my shoulders.

I sent it off with the title “The Fire, the Wolf and the Wind” because that worked really well with some of the new improved revised parts of the book. It had resonance and all that jazz. But I’m keeping “Blood and Birthright” and some of the other titles in my back pocket too.

Thank you all for your patience with my relative absence the past two weeks as I’ve tried to knock this out. Thanks also for the help and good wishes! I’m totally exhausted now, but too happy to sleep.

November is a really idiotic month to write a novel. It’s clear to me that the people who started National Novel Writing Month were not married at the time, had no responsibilities whatsoever for the upcoming holidays, and were probably living in their mom’s basement.

However, complain as I might, November is the month, and the motivation that the group project provides is worth the trouble. But for an ESTJ, I can somehow be a big rule-breaker. I like to do things my way. Last year, I used Nanowrimo to finish Rites of Passage. (A big no-no according to the rules, but a smashing success for me.)

This time, I’ll be starting early. In addition to holiday insanity, I’ll be going on a cruise to the Western Carribean in November and though I’m contemplating bringing my laptop I don’t anticipate doing work. So, Nanowrimo starts for me, today. Here’s my progress so far on my new book, the working title of which is Primary Partners:

981 / 50,000 (2.0%)

If the Nanowrimo Police want to arrest me, I am my own lawyer.