On Saturday 29th September, Philippa Gregory delivered a fabulous opening address at our London conference.  She discussed, among many other things, the importance of narrative in retelling history and using facts uncovered through research to re-create women’s lives and give voice to ordinary people from the past.

It was both wonderful and wonderfully inspiring, addressing both what we do as historical fiction writers and what we look for as readers.  She held the audience rapt for the entire 40-minute talk.

Thanks to Philippa for granting permission to post her keynote address, and to Johnny Yates for his stellar production skills.

We have more fantastic video to follow; Lindsey Davis and Margaret George, panel sessions and the INFAMOUS Late Night Sex Readings! Check our #HNSLondon12  Conference video page for updates. We already have a two minute fun taster video of the entire conference to whet your appetite!

The Conference Committee looks forward to welcoming all attendees to the event.

This Conference is going to be fabulous!

The Historical Novel Society Conference 2012 is the Global Event of the Year for Readers and Writers of Historical Fiction.

HNSLondon12 takes place 29-30 September, 2012 at the University of Westminster, 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2UW.

Download your pdf version of HNSLondon12 Conference Guide:

HNSLondon12 Conference Guide

We have a longlist!

After much cogitation and deliberation, for our #HNSLondon12 short story competition, we have a very impressed judging panel.

The names of the authors are confidential at this stage. The titles of the stories are as follows.

A Dog’s Life

A Funeral March Fit for a Prince

Encounter

Kisses for Dada

Liberation

Reputation

Sobhuzza’s Kraal

The Beggar at the Gate

The Greyhound

The Pearl of Blenheim

The Price of Poplar Cottage

The Sisters of San Zaccharia

The Final Judges, Gillian Green, Editorial Director for commercial fiction at Ebury Press and literary agent, Jonathan Pegg will announce the winners at the Conference.

Good luck to everyone on the longlist.

The Historical Novel Society Conference 2012 is the Global Event of the Year for Readers and Writers of Historical Fiction.

HNSLondon12 takes place 29-30 September, 2012 at the University of Westminster, 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2UW.

A Message from Margaret George:

Historic Royal Palaces, a non-profit organization that oversees famous sites in London—the Tower of London, Hampton Court, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace, and the Banqueting House—offers workshops, lectures, exhibits, and entertainments on site.  The events are offered first to their members, and then later to the general public.  Visit their website, www.hrp.org.uk, for an overview.  The private events are not listed there, though, so I’d like to tell you about my talk on October 1st at the Tower of London.  Needless to say I am thrilled to be invited to speak at this legendary site.

It’s titled “Triumphs and Tragedy: The Tower’s Presence in the Lives of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I”. I’ll be speaking about the private moments in the lives of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I that took place at the Tower, many of them in their childhoods.  (For example, Henry VIII’s mother died there and lay in state when he was 11.)  It will be held in the oldest part, the White Tower, and will start at 6:30 pm.  The £10 fee includes drinks.  Afterward there will be book signing.

Unfortunately there is no way to book online; you must call 0844-482-7788.  From the U.S., that would be 011-44-844-482-7788.

I hope that if you are staying over in London after the HNS Conference you might be able to come.  When you call, please mention that you are at the Conference and are one of my readers.  They plan to reserve some tickets for this group.

Book Signings at the Conference

Please note that authors doing books signings during the conference will only be signing their latest book or books, which will be on sale during the event.  Please do not bring additional books from home for them to sign as this would take up too much time and schedules will be tight.

Many thanks!

Sent on behalf of Pia Fenton

The Historical Novel Society Conference 2012 is the Global Event of the Year for Readers and Writers of Historical Fiction.

HNSLondon12 takes place 29-30 September, 2012 at the University of Westminster, 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2UW.

We have printed up a keepsake cotton ‘shopper’ bag for all attendees with the unique HNSLondon12 Street Sign logo which will be stuffed full of all things nice to take home.

If you have some books or other things to offer, please do get in touch but plan to make sure that they are with us by September 10th 2012!

The Historical Novel Society Conference 2012 is the Global Event of the Year for Readers and Writers of Historical Fiction.

HNSLondon12 takes place 29-30 September, 2012 at the University of Westminster, 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2UW.

Dear Conference attendee,

The Short Story Competition for the Historical Novel Society’s London Conference 2012 has a new closing date. This is now Friday 31 August to give everyone a couple of extra weeks to compose a story set in the past no later than 1960. The theme is open, so give free rein to your imagination! Great characterisation and a tightly written, interesting historical short story is all that it takes to be in with a good chance of winning the £100 prize and the HNSLondon12 Short Story Cup. The entry fee is only £5 and the competition is exclusive to attendees of HNSLondon12. We have extended the upper word limit to 2,500 but shorter is absolutely fine.

Editorial Director, Gillian Green, and literary agent, Jonathan Pegg, look forward to placing the best of the best and presenting the prize at the award ceremony on Saturday 29 September. For the full rules and information on how to enter please go the conference website here: http://www.hns-conference.org.uk/rules/

Wishing all entrants lots of luck! Time to get writing!

Carol McGrath
Moderator, HNSLondon12 Short Story Award
http://www.hns-conference.org.uk/hnslondon12-short-story-award/

Barden poses insightful questions leading to discussion of the well known fictionalised biographies of key women of the Tudor and Plantagenet eras, (notably  The Other Boleyn Girl) and also touches on some of the more controversial themes and motifs in Gregory’s work, from witchcraft to incest.

Set to open the HNSLondon12 Conference with a Keynote Speech, Philippa Gregory shares her thoughts on balancing fiction with history in the light of writing The Changeling (first in her new Young Adult series, Order of Darkness) ’purely as a novelist’, while continuing with her tightly researched Cousins’ War series, set amid the intrigue of the Wars of the Roses.

The Historical Novel Society Conference 2012 is the Global Event of the Year for Readers and Writers of Historical Fiction.

HNSLondon12 takes place 29-30 September, 2012 at the University of Westminster, 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2UW.

Ahoy Mates! With a hat tip to the ‘wooden walls of England’ on St George’s Day, we’re happy to launch the workshop programme by flagging up a seafaring ”workshop” break-out talk scheduled for the Conference.

Nautical authors Linda Collison, Margaret Muir, Helen Hollick and (hopefully) Richard Spilman and Alaric Bond will be at The Captain’s Table for a general discussion on the attraction of Nautical Fiction, provisionally entitled “Ships Ahoy: The joys and challenges of writing nautical fiction”. This session weighs anchor at 11:30 on Saturday 29th September.

Full details of this and other swell sessions will be announced very soon. We’re on course for a very exciting programme that is choc-a-block with  an extensive array of topics for landlubbers too!

(All nautical puns in this post are rudder frivolity).

The Historical Novel Society Conference 2012 is the Global Event of the Year for Readers and Writers of Historical Fiction.

HNSLondon12 takes place 29-30 September, 2012 at the University of Westminster, 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2UW.

Diana Gabaldon has just confirmed that she’s coming to the HNS London 12 Conference. She will be taking part in the ‘What Sells HF?’ main panel on Saturday as well as the breakout session ‘Haunted by the Past’. She will also be reading adult scenes with Bernard Cornwell  after-dinner at the Saturday Banquet.

Diana Gabaldon is the New York Times bestselling author of the wildly popular Outlander novels—Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, Drums of Autumn, The Fiery Cross, A Breath of Snow and Ashes (for which she won a Quill Award and the Corine International Book Prize), and An Echo in the Bone—as well as one work of nonfiction, The Outlandish Companion; the Outlander graphic novel The Exile; and the bestselling series featuring Lord John Grey, a character she introduced in her Outlander series. She lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The Historical Novel Society Conference 2012 is the Global Event of the Year for Readers and Writers of Historical Fiction.

HNSLondon12 takes place 29-30 September, 2012 at the University of Westminster, 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2UW.