History Talks! Fact vs. Fiction Author Panel Nov. 16, 2020

Nov 2020 History Talks graphic

Mark your calendar for Nov. 16, 2020 at 6:30PM, Pacific Time! I will be participating in an author panel on Fact vs. Fiction in historical novels.

How accurate is historical fiction? How accurate should it be? Four historical authors will answer these questions and more in a panel discussion of FACT VS. FICTION PLUS WRITING TIPS on Monday, November 16, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. (PT) The free Zoom meeting is sponsored by the Santa Clarita Library in their series of History Talks held monthly on various historical topics.

November’s speakers are:

Death City Marshall coverAnne Louise Bannon has made not one, but two careers out of her passion for storytelling. Both a novelist and a journalist, she has an insatiable curiosity. In addition to her mystery novels, she has written a nonfiction book about poisons, freelanced for such diverse publications as the Los Angeles Times, Ladies’ Home Journal, and Backstage West, and edits the wine blog OddBallGrape.com. On the fiction side, she writes a romantic serial, a spy series, and her Kathy and Freddy 1920s mystery series. Her most recent title is Death of the Chinese Field Hands, set in Los Angeles, 1871. She and her husband live in Southern California with an assortment of critters. Visit her website at https://annelouisebannon.com/.

Historical romance author Linda McLaughlin credits her grandmother for her love of history, which kindled her desire to become a writer, amateur genealogist, and historical researcher. She loves all-things-history but has been published in various genres, including romantic fantasy and science fiction. She writes historical and Regency romance novels under her real name, and spicier romance under the pseudonym, Lyndi Lamont. A retired librarian, she lives in south Orange County. Her most recent novel is Lily and the Gambler. Visit her website at https://www.lindalyndi.com.

1884 coverThe daughter of a newspaperman, A.E. Wasserman wrote her first novella at age 14 and never stopped writing. She has received numerous awards, including honors from Writer’s Digest for her work. A.E. Wasserman’s current mystery/thrillers, The Langsford Series, have garnered international attention. After graduating from The Ohio State University, she lived in London, then San Francisco. Currently she resides in Southern California with her family and her muse, a Border Collie named Topper. Visit the author’s web site at http://www.aewasserman.com/index.html.

Jane the Quene cover

 

Moderator Janet Wertman writes fiction set in the Tudor era and has just published The Boy King, the final installment in her critically acclaimed Seymour Saga trilogy, the story of the unlikely dynasty that shaped the era. She also runs a popular blog where she posts interesting takes on the Tudors and what it’s like to write about them. Find her online at https://janetwertman.com/.

Please join the Santa Clarita Library’s presentation of November’s History Talks. Register for this event at: bit.ly/HTFacts. 

I promise it will be fun!

Linda

Book Review Club: The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

Bookish Life of Nina Hill coverThe Bookish Life of Nina Hill
by Abbi Waxman
Berkley, 2019
Goodreads Best of 2019, Humor Category

Nina Hill is a bookish millennial living in the Larchmont section of Los Angeles. She has a job in a bookstore and a cat named Phil, runs numerous book clubs, and competes in a top trivia team. For a shy only child, it’s the perfect life. Almost. There is the cute guy on the opposing trivia team she’s too bashful to speak to.

Then the father she never knew dies and names her in the will. Suddenly she has a brother and sisters and nieces and nephews, and it’s all so overwhelming. It takes a village to coax Nina out of her over-organized, over-scheduled shell, but the journey is so much fun.

I found this to be a delightful book. Nina is smart, awkward and endearing. Her slow-burning romance with Tom is sweet, and her new-found relatives are a hoot, as is Waxman’s depiction of Larchmont. The artisanal ice cream fight over whether the bookstore should close was a riot.

Recommended for anyone looking to escape reality for a few hours.

Linda McLaughlin

As always, click on the link below for more great reviews in Barrie Summy’s Book Review Club!

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@Barrie Summy