The King of Ragtime
by Mariah Fredericks
Author Mariah Fredericks sets the scene for her latest novel, Death of an American Beauty, as she traces the rise of ragtime in New York City in the early 1900s.
Historical Fiction
Setting the Scene: Arizona in the Early 20th Century
by Nancy E. Turner
Nancy E. Turner discusses her latest novel, Light Changes Everything, highlighting how the history and setting of Arizona in the early 1900s played into her character creation and development.
How Jazz Changed the World
By Jessica Fellowes
Jessica Fellowes discusses the history behind her recently released novel, The Mitford Scandal, focusing on the birth of jazz in America and its cultural impact on post-WWI London.
Westering Women: A Celebration of Sisterhood on the Overland Trail
by Sandra Dallas
Sandra Dallas, author of the recently released novel, Westering Women, offers her thoughts on the incredible perils and hardships that 19th-Century women faced while seeking a new life in the American West.
The History Behind the Mystery: The Hollows
by Jess Montgomery
Jess Montgomery showcases her skills as a storyteller in The Hollows: a powerful follow-up to her highly acclaimed debut. In this original piece, Montgomery discusses the history that both shocked and inspired her while writing The Hollows.
The Naval “Nugget”
by P. T. Deutermann
In his latest novel, The Nugget, author P. T. Deutermann—himself a former Navy commander—tells the tale of a novice naval aviator who grows into a hero in a gripping World War II adventure. Keep reading for … Read the article
The History Behind the Mystery: Shamed
by Linda Castillo
If you’ve traveled to Holmes County, Ohio, you’ve probably seen the quaint farms with the iconic bank barns and corn silos, the horse-drawn buggies, the men with long beards and flat-brimmed hats, and the women clad in … Read the article
The History Behind the Mystery: Death of a New American
by Mariah Fredericks
Around the age of 14, I started to fall in love with Italian men. I fell hard for 70s actors like Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro. I adored New York’s governor Mario Cuomo. I was mad for … Read the article
The Battle for Blair Mountain
by Jess Montgomery
“Well. At least we weren’t coal miners.”
I heard that many a time, at family reunions or other gatherings, as I grew up.
On the surface, it sounds, well. snooty. Or worse—condescending.
Christmas in 1920s America
by Maia Chance
In 1921, Frances Lester Warner described a Christmas Eve scene in Boston with “red and white crystal” in shop windows, “lights gleaming on the slippery cross-streets, throngs of last-minute shoppers” and “bright posters still cheerfully advising us … Read the article