Friday Conversation | Ep 120: Marj Charlier - The Challenges of Writing Historical Fiction

Marj Charlier discusses her career journey from journalism to writing novels and self-publishing. She shares her experiences and challenges in the publishing industry, emphasizing the importance of patience and learning to take oneself seriously as a writer. Marj also discusses the rise in popularity of medieval fiction and the difficulties of researching and writing in that time period. She highlights the fascinating women of the early medieval period who defied societal norms and fought for their independence and power. She discusses her approach to researching historical events and finding surprising and intriguing stories. She shares examples from her own research, such as the rebellion by nuns in 589 and the prevalence of slavery during the time of the barbarian invasions. She also reflects on the parallels between historical events and current issues, highlighting the ongoing theme of mass migration throughout history. Charlier emphasizes the excitement of discovering new perspectives and the challenge of translating historical facts into engaging fiction. She also discusses the popularity of romance and fantasy genres and the difficulty of promoting historical fiction.

Find Marj: http://marjcharlier.com