What drew me to write historical fiction?

For my first semester at St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN, I enrolled in a two-

semester course that surveyed European history. St. John’s is a Catholic university and

my professor was a Benedictine monk. Our first exam came in the form of an essay. I

thought I’d done rather well, but when the graded exam came back, I went into a major

panic when I saw I’d received a ‘D’. A big fat ‘D’. A big, red-letter ‘D’.

Not wanting to get kicked out of college, I scheduled a private meeting with the

professor. It’s been so many years since then, I don’t remember his name. I’ll call him

Brother Alex. A tall, stocky man with a shaved head, I knew from the college catalog he

taught advanced courses in Russian and Soviet history. He spoke American English,

but a fellow student told me he spoke fluent Russian. I guessed he might have a military

background because he came across as being extremely no-nonsense.

To say that I was intimidated by him when I visited his tiny office would be an

understatement. He struck me as being well into his forties. At that time I’d not yet

turned eighteen. I was from a small town and to me, high school had ended too

abruptly. What was I doing in college? Should I have gone to a tech school instead?

“How did I get a ‘D’?’ I sheepishly asked him. “What did I do wrong?”

The major problem with my exam, he told me, was that while I had presented many

facts related to the exam’s purview (fourteenth century Europe, as I recall), it lacked

cohesion. My prose rambled-a date and a historical personality mentioned here and

there-but there was little insight, no overall pattern of keen observation. Brother Alex

wanted perspective and at least a semblance of organized thought.

That brief writing lesson (it lasted about seven minutes) has long stuck with me. Long

Lost Midwife is kind of an accident in that it mostly takes place in 1934. Currently, I have

a second novel going through the editing process. It’s set in 1993. Considering that it’s

now 2026, the 1993 book might also be labeled a historical novel.

However, I need to underscore: my brand, my genre is mystery thriller. It’s not historical

fiction. I might add that I also have another completed novel that’s heavy in police

procedural. It occurs in 2024, where digitalization and digitization rule. Another

completed novel is set in the future. (Hey, I took advantage of my time in the MeetUp

writers group). What binds these novels together in a genre is the degree to which

tension and mystery builds throughout all of them.

I can’t say I grasped the importance of Brother Alex’s writing advice right off the bat.

But, over time, something might have sunk in. Regardless of whichever era and locale

my novels explore, I know I must endeavor to research well the story arc, leaving no

doubt about the time-period context of the characters. I feel that’s a bare minimum thing I can do for my readers, whether they be Brother Alex or the lady behind me in the

checkout lane at the supermarket. The mystery doesn't end with the research. Step into the world I have built with the same precision and insight Brother Alex demanded. Experience Long Lost Midwife today: AMAZON | GOODREADS | BARNES AND NOBLE