How Much of a Historical Novel Is Real?

One of the questions I am asked most often is, “How much of your novel is true?” The answer isn’t as simple as you might think.

Every historical novel is different. Some authors use history simply as a backdrop for an entirely fictional story. Others stay very close to the historical record. Neither approach is right or wrong–they simply tell different kinds of stories.

When I began writing Lincoln Seeks Justice for Elijah Lovejoy, I wanted to immerse readers in the Illinois Abraham Lincoln actually knew. That meant spending years researching newspapers, letter, diaries, speeches, court records, memoirs, and government documents. I wanted the towns, the people, the politics, and the controversies to feel as authentic as possible. Because I wanted readers to know the story.

Many of the people who appear in my novel were real. Their personalities, occupations, beliefs, speeches, and even some of their words come directly from historical sources. Teh events surround Elijah Lovejoy and the growing national debate over slavery are also rooted in history.

But this is still a novel.

Abrham Lincoln did not investigate the controversary surrounding Elijah Lovejoy. The mystery at the heart of the book is real and so are the men involved in it. But the conversations are imagined. My job as an author is to weave those fictional threads into a tapestry that remains faithful to the people and the world they inhabited but to make it interesting, even exciting, to the modern reader.

For me, that balance is what makes historical fiction so rewarding. It allows us to step into another century, meet extraordinary people, and experience history not as a list of dates and facts, but as something lived by real men and women facing impossible choices.

I hope that when readers finish Lincoln Seeks Justice for Elijah Lovejoy, they will enjoy the mystery–but I also hope they will discover a fascinating chapter of American history and perhaps be inspired to learn even more about the remarkable people who lived it.

Current Projects

• My Book: Continuing revisions of my novel, where history and imagination meet.
• Edward Bryant: Continuing to preserve and republish the remarkable stories of my friend

Thank you for walking alongside me.