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#HistFicThursdays - What We Love in a Film, Do We Hate in a Book?

 Last night we went to the cinema to watch The Sheep Detectives . It was a great, fun film packed with all the rollercoaster emotions you want from any movie. Interestingly, despite the fact the film was perhaps aged at a younger audience, everyone at the screening was quite a bit older. We made a comment later that, despite the fact the film is a PG rating, there was no way any of my nieces would be able to handle it. But the most appealing thing about the film was just how appealing it was! It was a murder mystery, of course, but it also bordered on drama, comedy, and romance. It certainly catered for all ages, with some of the references and topics which would be completely lost on young children. And it was not afraid to deal with some pretty brutal topics. In many respects, we expect these genre-collisions in films - we applaud them and celebrate them as crafty and creative. It's a shame, I think, that many books which portray a similar mixed approach at often overlooked as di...
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#HistFicThursdays - Introducing this 2026's #HistFicMay Prompts

 It's back for another year...

Welcome to this year's #HistFicMay!

I know a number of writers like to have these prompt in advance so that you can line up a few answers, so it seemed like a good time to share them. Of course, the aim of #HistFicMay is to celebrate both the fantastic network of historical fiction writers and their books, so even if you don't use the prompts, hopefully you can use the hashtag on your social media to discover fabulous authors and writings.

And here they are:

  1. Introduce yourself and your writing
  2. Who inspired you to become a writer?
  3. Standalone or series?
  4. Do you always/ever write happy ever afters?
  5. One time period or dual (or more!) timeline?
  6. What is your favourite era to write about?
  7. What is your favourite era to read about?

    Let's talk about research...
  8. What has been your greatest research discovery?
  9. Which source do you always go back to?
  10. What's your strangest rabbit hole?
  11. Has research ever driven you mad?
  12. If you could time travel, when would you go to?

    Now for your main character...
  13. Introduce your MC.
  14. What is their drive and goal?
  15. What's their favourite colour?
  16. Who plays your MC in the movie?
  17. What do other characters think of your MC?
  18. Is you MC based on anyone?
  19. What superpower does your MC wish they had?

    Share your words...
  20. What's your opening line?
  21. Best description.
  22. Favourite quote.
  23. Last word (END doesn't count!).

    Just for fun!
  24. Your characters come to dinner - what do you serve?
  25. What's your historical Mastermind topic?
  26. Which of your characters is your "phone a friend"?
  27. What song always makes you think about your book?
  28. To whom is your book dedicated?
  29. Who's your ideal collaborator for writing?
  30. What's the honest tagline for your book?
  31. Tell your story in emojis.
It's only the month after next and I can't wait! Make sure you download the graphic at the top of this post and spread the word! Let's make this #HistFicMay the biggest yet!

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