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BY CA RRI EL O F T Y
Woo reodersinto lovingon unexpected
Twoyeorsogo, I wrotemy firstorticlefor the RWR("The
Triolsond T r ium p h so f U n u s u o lH i s to ri c o l s " ),
w h i ch exom-
i ned t he s t qt e o f th e i n d u s try re g o rd i n g hi stori col
romoncesset outsideof Englond-which todoy ore doing
betterthon ever. Groundbreokingnovels(suchos Jeonnie
Lin's Butterfly Swords ond Zoe Archer's \Norriorl keep
p r ov ing t hot t he p u b l i s h i n g i n d u s try ,i h o rg h sl ow to
ch onge, is gent lye x p o n d i n gi ts b o u n d o ri e s .
How did suchbooks achievethe improbable?We akeady
know unusual historicals are difficult to sell, but tricks and
techniques exist that enable writers to minimize roadblocks
and maximizechancesof success.
Once again, I called upon a fine network for my inquiry
including fellow authorsof the Unusual Historicals blog. But,
becausewe authorscan get too closeto our work and, frankly,
a little defensiveabout the subject, I also contactedindustry
professionals.We proceededwith the assumptionthat writers
always will want to push the boundariesand pursue subjects
they hnd intriguing. So, what can we do to make that process
somethinemore than a fool's errand?
setting
Discovery, Novelty qnd Wonder
Most of the writers I surveyedadmittedto writing unusualhis-
toricals becauseof their desire to be original, to indulge in
researchcwiosities, and to explore eras rife with interesting
.conflict. Alex Beecroft, whose False Colors is set during the
SevenYears'War,says,"...An old, well-worr settingsuch as
the Regencydoesn't offer me that thrill of discovery novelty
and wonder."
. The difficulty with this dive into novelty is becoming
seducedby world building. Historical authors face the same
challengesas writers of sciencefiction and fantasy,where set-
ting plays an enoflnous role. In using Regency or medieval
England-both well known to fans of historical romance-an
author starts from a much higher assumption of familiarity.
Not every nuance ofthe ton needsto be explainedafresh,but
rather gently revisited as required by the plot.
In more exotic settings,the particularsmust be illuminat-
ed as if for the first time a difficult balancing act! Authors
must provide enough inforination to ground readers in the
important aspectsof an unfamiliar place and time, while main-
taining the tight plotting, strong emotion, and potent charac-
terizalion required of romantic f,tction.
The hrst tip for traversing this tightrope is to ground
yourself in a broad variety of primary sources,delving exten-
Dl,(-ti',1g[[2C 1O R\i\iti
sively into what Beecroft dubs "the spirit of an era."New York
Times best-selling author Jennifer Blake advises, "Know 10
times as much as you ever include in the story." This uncon-
scioussynthesisofresearch"...lendsan impressionofrichness
that'shardto explainbut easyto recognize."Think ofresearch
as an iceberg:90 percentof it remainsunseen,but its very
existencemakesthe romancericher and more authentic.
You may, however,find yourself indulging in too much of
a good thing. The best guidelineregardingthe inclusion of
researchis to brutally assessits usefulnessto the story.Author
Blythe Gifford says,"Fascinatingas your settingmay be, I'm
only interestedin it as it touches the characters."If you
includeparagraphsofdescription,ostensiblyto set the scene,
then you may be sacrificing vital tension. Facts for their own
sakearen't compelling.The readerneedsto seethem,if at all,
throughthe eyesofmultifaceted,engagingcharacters.
Carina PressEditor DeborahNemeth offers this advice:
"Select rich, telling detailsthat give your story texture and
revealthe customs,valuesand motivationsof your period. If
the story takes place during a major holiday, we should see
how that culture celebrates.What's distinctive about courlship
rituals in ancientEgypt, Peru or Polynesia...?"I used such
Hisforicql Reseqrch Websites
OnlineEtymology Dictionory:
http:/ / www.etymonIi ne.com/
BritishHistoryOnline:
istory.oc.uk/
http:/ / www.british-h
DovidRumsey Mop Collection:
Historicol
hnp/ / www.dovidrumsey.
com/
ProiectGutenberg:
http:/ / www.gutenberg.org
TheCostumiers Monifesto:
mes.org,/
http:/ / www.costu
Legendsof Americo:
http:/ / www.legendsofomericq.com
Society Anochronism:
for Creqtive
http:/ / www.sco.org,/docs/li brory.htmI
FoshionEro:
com/index.htm
http:/ / www.foshion-erq.
ia
techniquesin,both of my Austrian-setromances,revealing
aspectsof Napoleonic Salzburgthrough Camival celebrations
and the custom of giving a gift to a new bride when sheproved
to be a virgin. Neither of these examplesstood on their own,
serving instead as vital plot points that amplified tension
betweenthe hero and heroine.
Anotherconsiderationis to keepresearch-heavy passages
away from opening chapters.Begin with somethingfamiliar,
suchas a maskedball, the readingof a will, or a chasethrough
darkened streets. Excitement will propel readers into this
unfamiliar world, rather than challenging them with off-put-
ting detail.
Gotewoy Chorocters,Fqmilior Hooks, ond
ClossicPlotlines
Assume, for a moment, that most readers,especially agents
and editors,are actually repelledby unusualsettings.This cre-
ates a realistic starting point when assessingyour romance.
Best-sellingauthor Jade Lee says,"The salesstaff has two
columns: pluses for the book and negatives for the book.
Unusual setting is a huge negative.Everything else has to be
on the positive side." Suchpositivesinclude not only a greal
voice, a sizzling romanceand fantasticpacing, but also the
very bonesof the story.
Readers,generally,are familiar with the common tropes
of our genre: secretbaby, marriage of convenience,reunited
lovers, etc. My forthcoming South African-set romance fea-
fures an English viscount and his estranged wife, whose
arranged marriage is fraught with tension. Forced to work
togetherin a hostilecolonialtown, they discoverthe true,lov-
ing hearl of their marriage.This plotline doesnot set out to
challenge;the comfort is in the familiar progressionof a clas-
sic romancetrope, no matter the unusualsetting
Customs,laws, businesspractices,and geographyare
more easily absorbedwhen accessiblevoicesfilter and inter-
pret the strangeness. Even a story as exotic as JeannieLin's
Butterfly Swords utilizes this technique The blue-eyed hero,
Ryam, is from the West and helps guide the readerthrough the
world of eighth-centuryChina.
Names also must draw readersin. Lin describesher diffi-
culty in selectingnames for Chineseprotagonists:"Foreign
nameshaveto be easyon the eye,pronounceable, easyto dif-
ferentiate.I joke that I'11have to stop writing books set in
Chinawhen I run out of useablenames."
Diane Whiteside found the same trouble. "[A reader]
needs to think she can pronounce them fnames]-even the
really weird ones from those faraway placesand times. For
northwestemmedieval Spain, I wound up with fewer than 12
men's flrst names."
Without this seemingly trivial entr6e,a reader might not
even give the first pagea fair shot. Stmggling with the basics
doesnot make for a pleasurableexperience.The samegoesfor
professions.Having written both Roman and Viking romances
for Harlequin, Michelle Styles suggests,"Make sure that the
charactertype is at least recognizable.For example, using a
gladiator in a Roman-setnovel rather than a mosaic maker."
A11of this retums to our initial assumptionthat"an unusualset-
ting is not a draw for most readers, especially hard-to-con-
vince editors and agents.Give them no reasonother than the
setting to put down Your book.
Stereofypes, Theme Pqrks, ond Politicol
Correcfness
Let's be honest for a moment about the historical romance
genre.Its strengthis in providing emotional, character-driven
stories set in the past, inviting readersto consider how love
and desire have always moved human beings. Historical
romanceis limited, however,in its ability to thoughtfully tack-
le thorny issues.The needsof the romantic fantasy must take
precedent.
Thorny issuescan be examined,and they can be great for
conflict. The trick is to frnd a sympatheticangle that also is
historically appropriate.For example,in my book Scoundrel's
Klss, the hero dislikes the heroine'sneedfor opium becauseof
the dangerbrought on them by her cravings. Modem assess-
ments of addiction do not enter the discussion. Similarly,
Flawless is set in 1881, a full half-century after slavery was
abolishedthroughout most of the British Empire. This allows
the hero to protest when native Africans are treated as if they
are possessions,but that doesnot mean he advocatesfor rights
such as suffrage.
Janine Ballard of the website dearauthor.comsays, "I
know that it can be a tough balanceto strike between histori-
cal accuracy and political correctness,but I really want
authors to make the effort to get this right." The inability of
some authors to achieve that balance makes many readers
wary of periods such as the U.S. Civil War and anything
approachingthe Holocaust. The risk in porlraying these bur-
denederaswithout detail and nuanceis to createwhat Ballard
terms "theme park" history. For some settings, the span
betweenhideousinjustice and a romance'shappy ending may
simply be too great.
Stereotypesalso can be challenging. Most writers seem
hyperaware of stereotypesthat both weaken their story and
stray toward insult. Avoiding them meanspalling extra atten-
tion to researchand using it to createfully realized individu-
a/s-especially secondarycharactersand villains, who can be
sketchedwith much less attentron.
Lin explains, "When you don't know much about a cul-
hrre, the few details you do know, positive or negative,
becomemore prevalent.It may be harder to convince readers
of situations and charactersthat operate outside the notm."
The task falls to the author to educate and convince, even
within the conhnes of a romance.
Overcoming the Odds
Agent Kevan Lyon presentsa frank assessment of unusualhis-
toricals in today's market: "Romance readershave generally
not shown a willingness to move too far outside their inter-
ests."
When asked to identift concrete choices an author can
make to help maximize success,she advises, "Try to wrtte
about places and periods that you believe will have the best
chance of acceptance-i.e., European settings from late
medieval to Victorian-and including British characters'"
Carina Press Executive Editor Angela James echoes this
advice and adds, "Overemphasizing what's new can work
againsta manuscript.Don't write a book set in Italy but then
hav€ a story that could have taken place in any London ball-
room."
Over and over, professionalsand authors emphasizethe
puryoseof a romance:to transportreadersand presenta heaft-
felt love story with a satisfliing ending.MaureenLang, author
of a "Great War" seriesof inspirationalhistoricals,suggests
that we all step back and consider what we enjoy as readers'
:'I read nonfiction to leam facts; I read fiction to see other
places and eras come alive through the eyes of charactersI
want to care about. If the chemistry betweenthe charactersis
compelling enough,almost any readercan be wooed into lov-
ing a setting they never expectedto love."
Without that spark, without that passionateconnection,
we as romance writers risk failure-no matter the time or
place.
@ K fl ffi K tl ffi
Born in California and raised in Indiana, Carrie Lofty met her
English husband while studying abroad the best souvenir!
Sincecompletingher mastet'sin histoty,she'sbeendevotedto
raising their two precocious daughters and writing romance'
Song of Seductionis availablenowfrom Carina Press,with
Portrait of Seduction to follow this May. Http //www.ccu'
rielofty.com; http://unusualhistoricalsblogspot.com.
LlFait/i3!t 20't a liv"vF.