Continuing my musing on what we can discover if we follow trends in the publishing industry, there’s currently a bit of chatter about the decline in the number of historical romance novels being acquired by traditional publishing. Apparently, historical romance authors are having to add other elements; that is, a bit of mystery, some paranormal shenanigans, even fantasy.
Genre blurring has existed for ages in historical fiction.
Look at steampunk, which never took off the way I thought it would. I don’t understand it. Re-imagining history is fascinating!
But maybe steampunk added too much. Maybe the key to weaving history into a novel isn’t to ornament it with new things, but to hack away at it till a new vision emerges.
Could the next big thing in historical fiction be important events told through an animal’s eyes? There is a lot of potential there. Say a cat intent on its feline activities but interrupted by its owner’s attempt to ::insert famous event, whatever it might be::
Speaking of books from history…
Janet Neel’s mystery novels are now available in ebook (she was also a British lawyer and a Peer in the House of Lords). They’re from the 1980s and 1990s, and so, they’ve become historical or vintage or retro or whatever you want to call the PAST THAT I REMEMBER! …ahem. Her books are beautifully written as well as well-plotted. I like some more than others. If you’re curious, you can dip into The Complete Wilson & McLeish Set.
Similar blasts from the recent-ish past now available in ebook include mystery novels by Charlotte MacLeod and Marian Babson.
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