History Through Fiction - The Podcast

Moving on to episode nine in Season 2 of History Through Fiction: The Podcast. This episode features writer, professor, scholar, and interpreter Julieta Almeida Rodrigues, author of the Eleonora and Joseph: Passion, Tragedy, and Revolution in the Age of Enlightenment. In this episode we chat with Rodrigues about using fiction to go beyond facts, the role women play in revolutions, and the connecti...

It’s time for episode eight in Season 2 of History Through Fiction: The Podcast. This episode features Mark Sullivan, author of the World War II historical novels Beneath a Scarlet Sky and The Last Green Valley. During our insightful conversation with the author, we chat about The Long Trek faced by Black Sea Germans during WWII, an event that is the centerpiece of his newest novel. We also talk t...

Season 2 of History Through Fiction: The Podcast continues with special guest Lindsey Fera, author of the just released historical novel Muskets and Minuets. A debut novel by Fera, Muskets and Minuets tells the story of Annalisa Howlett who masquerades as a man to join the colonial rebellion against the British. In this interview with the author, Fera talks about the rich history of her New Englan...

On to episode 6 of History Through Fiction: The Podcast. This week we feature Mally Becker, author of the Revolutionary War-era novel The Turncoat’s Widow. In this episode, we talk with Becker about the volunteer role at the Morristown National Historical Park that helped her uncover some surprising information and inspired her to write The Turncoat’s Widow. We also talk about how she wrote a fema...

Next up on History Through Fiction: The Podcast is our very own Ron Blumenfeld, author of the historical mystery novel The King’s Anatomist: The Journey of Andreas Vesalius. In this episode we talk with Blumenfeld about the biography of Andreas Vesalius that sat on his shelves for fifty years before it finally inspired him to write his debut novel. We also chat about the challenges of studying ana...

This week History Through Fiction: The Podcast keeps rolling with Sadeqa Johnson, author of Yellow Wife. Named an O, the Oprah Magazine and SheReads, Most Anticipated Historical Fiction Books of 2021 Pick, Yellow Wife tells the story of Lumpkin’s Slave Jail as seen through the eyes of Pheby Delores Brown. In our conversation with Johnson, we chat about the moment that inspired her to tell this sto...

Episode 3 of History Through Fiction: The Podcast features historian Christopher D. Stanley, author of the historical novel trilogy A Slave’s Story. We chat with Stanley about his travel research through the Greco-Roman world, the life of a slave in ancient Rome, and the differences between sharing history through fiction and nonfiction. We also talk with Stanley about the importance of history an...

Next up on History Through Fiction: The Podcast is Stephanie Landsem, author of the stunning 1930s-era novel In a Far-Off Land. In this episode we talk with Landsem about some of the important social issues raised by her novel such as women’s rights and Mexican repatriation. Landsem also talks about the joy in watching old films to research 1930s Hollywood, the birth of celebrity, and her unique w...

Leading off Season 2 of History Through Fiction: The Podcast is Sarah Penner, author of the New York Times Bestseller The Lost Apothecary. In this episode we chat with Penner about the incredible success of her debut novel and her experience transitioning from being a writer who works full-time to being a full-time writer. We also chat with her about overcoming rejection, the importance of portray...

After a fantastic first season, History Through Fiction is proud to announce that season 2 kicks off on Monday, September 13! Hosted by founder and editor Colin Mustful, season includes eleven episodes released weekly. Each episode features a historical novelist who will be talking about the craft of weaving elements of history and fiction to create engaging and enlightening stories. Notable inter...

In this bonus episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, we step away from elements of writing to talk with Oanh Jordan, the founder of Tiny Triumph Co., about elements of marketing—relationship marketing. Jordan, who operates her own literary marketing consulting firm, talks with host Colin Mustful about how she went from being an engineer to helping authors discover and design purpose-driv...

Bonus Episode! In the first-ever bonus episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast we bring you publisher, entrepreneur, and book lover, Sue Arroyo. Unlike our usual episodes, we break away from the craft of historical fiction to take an insider look at publishing. Founder of History Through Fiction Colin Mustful talks with the Arroyo, the founder of CamCat Books, about her long and challengin...

In our final episode of season one, host Colin Mustful talks with novelist, memoirist, playwright, and screenwriter Dale Swanson. Author the historical novels The Thirty-Ninth Man and Tears of Sorrow, Swanson discusses the intricacies of his research, the process of working with an editor to cut 80,000 words from his manuscript, and his goal of inspiring readers toward forgiving but never forgetti...

History Through Fiction: The Podcast continues with episode nine featuring F.M. Deemyad, author of the upcoming historical novel The Sky Worshipers. A novel of Mongol conquests, The Sky Worshipers tells history from a new perspective, showing readers how the vast Mongol empire was transformed from within by three captive princesses. Deemyad, who was born in Iran and developed a love of English lit...

Next up on History Through Fiction: The Podcast is historical novelist and writer of women’s adventure stories set in the West, Ashley E. Sweeney. Her novels include Eliza Waite, which tells the story of widow who heads north during the Alaskan gold rush of 1898, and Answer Creek, a gripping tale of adventure and survival based on the true story of the ill-fated Donner Party on their 2,200-mile tr...

Episode seven features Jason Lee Willis, a prolific author with a passion for storytelling. In this conversation, the author, who is also a High School English teacher, talks to us about his love of writing, his daily routine of writing 1,000 words every morning, and the research that’s led him to make a series of YouTube videos about explorer Joseph Nicollet. We also talk with Jason about writing...

In this episode, we chat with Elizabeth Wetmore, the New York Times bestselling author of the historical thriller, Valentine. A native of West Texas, Wetmore talks about her deep connection to the landscape, the people, and the challenges they face. She also talks about what it’s like to be a working-class writer, the way she allowed her characters’ voices to direct her writing, and the months and...

Episode five of History Through Fiction: The Podcast features our own Nancy Burkhalter, author of the novel, The Education of Delhomme: Chopin, Sand, & La France. With Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 9, No. 2, as intro and outro music, listeners will enjoy some great music along with great literary conversation. In this episode, Nancy Burkhalter talks about writing fiction as therapy, the unique symbiosis t...

If you love stories, you’ll love this interview with Thomas Maltman—a magnificent storyteller and author of The Land. Listen as host of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, Colin Mustful, chats with the historical novelist and mystery writer about the challenges of mixing genres, the value of fiction to keep stories alive, and the importance of going deep into the lives of his characters to revea...

This episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast features Finola Austin, author of the wildly popular historical novel Brontë’s Mistress. Austin, who is also known as The Secret Victorianist, talks with host Colin Mustful about her love of nineteenth century English literature, her transition from academia to becoming a novelist, and the moment she knew she had a story to tell.

In episode two we talk with Stephen Yoch, author of the novel Becoming George Washington. Yoch, a lawyer by day, discusses the value of research while noting the importance of precision in his writing so that readers know what’s real and what’s not real. He also talks about the long but rewarding process of bringing history to life stating, “adding human detail to history, I think, is the great qu...

William Kent Krueger is a nine time New York Times bestselling author. Known for his Cork O’Connor mystery series set in the north woods of Minnesota, Krueger is also the author of several stand alone novels such as The Devil’s Bed and Ordinary Grace . Krueger, who grew up in Oregon and now lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, is the recipient of numerous awards including the Minnesota Book Award and Edg...

Host Colin Mustful introduces listeners to a brand new podcast featuring historical novelists talking about their craft.