The Historical Novel Society Conference 2026: In Quotes

Last weekend I attended my sixth in-person Historical Novel Society Conference. Typically, the annual gathering alternates between American and British locations, but this year HNS UK went to Ireland. The setting? The historic university town of Maynooth outside Dublin. The attendees? A mix of historical novelists, of differing levels of professional experience, from around the world.

As usual, I’m summarizing the conference through some of my favorite quotes from the plenary and parallel sessions. Unfortunately, this year sessions were not recorded, but I still managed to catch a lot of talks.

Finola Austin reporting from HNS 2026!

“Curiosity may not kill the cat, but it certainly encourages me to explore rabbit holes,” Kevin Connolly

Research is always a hot topic at HNS conferences and Kevin Connolly gave us a great overview of the digital resources available to those writing historical novels with an Irish setting. 

“Correspondence will give you the social worlds of your characters,” Professor Terence Dooley

Meanwhile, Maynooth History Professor and conference keynote speaker Terence Dooley suggested letters and auction catalogues as two incredible primary sources for uncovering facts that could be stranger than fiction.

However, the question of how much research is necessary or helpful continues to be hotly debated.

“If you’re writing the truth, who cares about the facts?” John Banville

Keynote speaker John Banville encouraged us to prioritize emotional verisimilitude over pedantic research, while Carol Cram’s advice was similar:

“Don’t confuse accuracy with fidelity,” Carol Cram

We heard from writers who have different “rules” for themselves about sticking (or not sticking!) to the historical record, and, for many, these “rules” evolve between projects.

“The more novels I write, the more inclined I am to take liberties,” Martina Devlin

Anne Easter Smith reminded us that, when conducting independent research unattached to an academic institution, we may face obstacles.

“We are lowly novelists and historians will look at us like this,” Anne Easter Smith

And keynote speaker Vaseem Khan raised the point that some topics and perspectives have been expunged from the mainstream historical record:

“I use my books to talk about the history I didn’t learn about in school,” Vaseem Khan

Leslie Carroll cautioned us to consider the “who” behind each primary source we consult:

“I always weigh what I’m reading against who said it,” Leslie Carroll

And the question of point of view goes beyond research and into the writing process itself:

“Most stories have been written, so it’s about finding a fresh perspective,” Louise Fein

Finding a fresh perspective can help your book become more marketable, but speakers had other tips for helping your novel stand out from the slush or on the shelf.

Give your characters plenty of problems:

“Layer on obstacles to your ideas to strengthen your pitch,” Amanda Geard

Choose a progressive historical figure as your main character:

“Artists are people in society who like to push boundaries and break rules,” Laura Morelli

Or tap into themes that have continued relatability today:

“Sisters have universality. We have expectations of sisterhood,” Kate Braithwaite

I wish there had been more sessions digging deeply into writing craft, but Lenore Hart had some helpful advice for first chapters (before her Q&A got slightly derailed by a hot debate about writing and AI!). 

“Withholding information creates confusion, not mystery,” Lenore Hart

This was my favorite tidbit from her talk, as she advised early career writers not to delay giving readers crucial information, like who is this character and when and where are we they, in a misguided attempt to create intrigue. 

There were also only a couple of sessions digging into the business of publishing, including a keynote conversation between Essie Fox and her publisher, Karen Sullivan.  

“First novels contain seeds of everything we’ve read,” Essie Fox

I liked Essie’s idea about going back to your first novel to rediscover the passions that first brought you to writing. And Karen’s thoughts on not “chasing” market trends, as a historical novelist, were well-received by the writers in attendance:

“Trend-driven publishing is flawed,” Karen Sullivan

To round out this recap, I’ll turn back to John Banville, whose rejection of the idea that writing is a form of self-expression really stuck with me. His insistence that our novels are “no longer ours” when they’re out in the world resonated, especially in an environment where you don’t know whether to lead with what you’ve done or what you’re working on next.

“I can’t remember my own books. They’ve left me. They’re in the past,” John Banville

That’s a wrap for HNS 2026, but I’m looking forward to the North America conference in Pittsburgh in 2027! If we met at the conference, please stay in touch. If we didn’t, feel free to get in touch too. You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, and sign up for my monthly email newsletter here.

The Historical Novel Society North America 2025 in Quotes: Part One

Yesterday I returned home from my third in-person Historical Novel Society North America (HNSNA) conference and my sixth HNS conference overall. This time the conference took place in Las Vegas! As I’ve done at the last few conferences, I’m sharing some of the favorite quotes I heard from fellow authors and a handful of publishing professionals over the last few days. A Part Two post will follow when I’ve had a chance to listen to the recordings of the sessions that I did not attend IRL.

Reporting from #HNS2025!

As usual, research continued to be a hot topic among the historical fiction community, with many writers sharing their go-to resources.  Jennifer S. Brown: “When I’m stuck, I dive into historical newspapers and magazines and see what was going on in the world.” Amanda Skenandore: “Old travel guides can be a treasure trove.” Judith Starkston: “Travel is the best kind of research.”

But Special Guest Silvia Moreno-Garcia urged us to consider oral history in addition to classic archival and library research: “Oral history paired with research can be a valuable foundation for your book.” She also shared that, “An erroneous memory can be more interesting than a real one. We must understand the lie and the truth inside it.” Spotlight Author Jeffrey Blount had a similar perspective: “The best writing advice I’ve ever received is, ‘listen.’”

Special Guest Fiona Davis also had helpful advice about some of the pitfalls of researching, suggesting we, “Keep meticulous records of the materials that helped shape your novel.” She also talked about how we can get lost in our research: “I can pack in too much research and have to strip it out.” Meanwhile, A.M. Stuart had a helpful reminder that we’re writing about historical fiction rather than history: “I’m not writing non-fiction. I make things up.”

Drafting was also a hot topic, with Kelsey James telling us, “It’s important to have momentum when drafting,” and Spotlight Author Sarah Penner keeping her advice straightforward: “Finish the book.” Hazel Gaynor touched on the software we’re using to draft: “I’ve heard that if you go towards the light of Scrivener, you never go back.” And when it comes to knowing if your draft is final, Jeffrey Blount noted, “A novel is never really finished. It’s abandoned.”

The perennial debate between plotting (i.e., outlining) and pantsing (i.e., flying by the seat of your pants) continued. Natasha Lester: “I have no idea what I’m doing when I sit down to write a book. That’s part of the fun. It keeps me entertained.” Jonathan F. Putnam: “I wish I knew from the beginning who did it.” Fiona Davis: “I know the twist and the ending.” Hazel Gaynor: “I write my book in the order the reader reads the book.” Amanda Geard told us, “I use guidelines vs. an outline,” while Hazel Gaynor had a great anecdote: “My cat moved a scene when a post-it note got stuck to her tail.”

Characters were also a big discussion. Rita Woods: “We’re not telling history. We’re telling the story of a person within history.” Natasha Lester advised, “When choosing POV, I consider ‘who is the best person to tell this story?’” Elizabeth Blackwell reminded us, “Your character doesn’t know how history is going to go.” And Louise Fein suggested, “Give your protagonist helpful skills and interests.” Janyre Tromp: “Think of one metaphor for your main character. Figure out how that relates to what they’re hiding.”

On the topic of characters, authors were asking agents and editors about the ethics and marketability of writing from perspectives other than your own. Editor Melissa Richter: “Mostly we are looking for people who are writing from their own experiences.” Agent Amanda Jain: “A sensitivity read is not a magic wand.”

Other craft topics talks covered included setting (Kelsey James: “Setting is often the first inspiration for me.” Amanda Geard: “I really love writing place as a tie between timelines.” Hope C. Tarr: “A historical saga makes you feel like you’ve been somewhere on vacation.”), tapping into the five senses (Kelsey James: “When people think of taste, they always think of food, but there are other things you can taste, like blood in your mouth.”), subtext (Janyre Tromp: “There are 40 things going on in my head but only one of them comes out of my mouth.”) and flashbacks (Hope C. Tarr: “If you’re relying too much on flashbacks you might not have started your novel in the right place.”).

When it comes to these finer details of honing your craft, Amanda Skenandore reminded us, “Adding nuance is often done best at the revision stage.” And, of course, no 2025 writing craft conversation would be complete without references to Artificial Intelligence. Jeffrey Blount: “I would not like to read a book written by AI.” Agent Ariele Friedman: “Please don’t use ChatGPT to write your book.”

Moving from craft to the state of publishing, speakers on all sides of the business weren’t shy in sharing their opinions. Sarah Penner: “The world of traditional publishing is a complete mess…Publishing is risk averse. They don’t care about quality. They care about making money.” Agent Ariele Friedman: “There are more books to publish and few people [working in publishing] to publish them.” Agent Amanda Jain: “I’m not going to say that traditional publishing is nimble, but it’s a little faster than it used to be.” The impact of #BookTok was also a hot topic. Agent Ariele Friedman: “Self-publishing is for powerhouses right now. If you’re crushing it on TikTok, go for it.”

As usual, there was plenty of chatter about the time periods and subgenres that are currently hot or not. Gill Paul had two pieces of advice when considering the salability of your novel: “You can choose a ‘less fashionable’ time period, if you pair it with a modern timeline [in a dual timeline],” and, “I like linking books to a centenary or other anniversary. It helps with press.” Hope C. Tarr also reminded us, “A tough sell does not mean an impossible sell,” when sharing the story of her novel’s path to publication.

One of the main themes we kept hearing about was genre blending. Agent Ariele Friedman: “Historical plus [another genre] gives you an advantage.” Many speakers focused on historical fantasy or historical fiction with elements of magical realism. Zenobia Neil explained her attraction to this subgenre: “I exist in the non-magical world every day and it’s really a drag,” with Rita Woods expressing a similar sentiment: “There isn’t enough magic in the world.” Vanessa Riley: “You can blend genres to make a bigger story that engulfs you.” Silvia Moreno-Garcia: “The real becomes more real with the inclusion of the fantastic” and, “There need not be an explanation for the fantastic.” For those for whom mixing genres is new, Pat Murphy had some advice: “Dip into historical fantasy by writing a short story—there is a robust market for sci-fi and fantasy stories.”

We also heard about what writers were reading (and not reading!). Janyre Tromp advised that we should, “Read scripts if [we] struggle with dialogue.” Rita Woods noted, “If I read while writing I start channeling the other writer.” And Silvia Moreno-Garcia also cautioned against modelling your style on canonical works: “When you imitate too closely, it has no life.”

There was also discussion around how published authors can best deal with our readers’ responses to our work. Sarah Penner: “Some people will love it, some people will hate it, most people will like it…Grieve in private and don’t burn bridges.” Heather Webb: “You can’t control the expectations readers bring to the page…It gets easier with readers over time.”

Writers also shared about the emotions that come with the ups and downs of a writing career. Sarah Penner: “I deal with imposter syndrome every day. And I didn’t when I worked in finance.” Kris Waldherr: “There are physical and psychological reasons for writer’s block.” The conference was a supportive forum for voicing these feelings. After all, Fiona Davis reminded us that this is not a zero-sum game, and that we shouldn’t be viewing fellow writers as our competition: “We should have, not a scarcity mindset, but an unlimited buffet mindset” (now that’s a Vegas-approved metaphor!).

I’ll wrap up Part One of this roundup, with a quote from Hope C. Tarr: “We’re not here because it’s easy. We’re here because we love it.” As we all fly back to our different cities and countries, I hope we remember this love of writing that unites us. I’m looking forward to listening to the other panels and talks and continuing to enjoy HNS from home. Stay tuned for Part Two!

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