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So far juliehartley has created 78 blog entries.

The Magical Appeal of Britain’s Ancient Woodlands

When I began to write Her Secret Soldier, an ancient forest seemed the perfect location in which to set the story. I thought of gnarled oak trees and fairy rings. Babbling brooks and moss-covered stones. Sunlight slanting down on mysterious footpaths that led from the modern world into a land that time forgot. It wasn’t difficult to imagine a shy 18-year-old girl taking refuge in such a place from her bullying step-father, nor to picture a parachute caught in the topmost branches of an oak tree and dangling from it, an injured German spy. These days, only 2.5% of Britain remains forested, yet, ancient woodlands have impacted the mythology and literary heritage of the country  more than any other landscape. Most of us remember [...]

2024-09-05T16:33:22-04:00September 5, 2024|Historical Fiction, Home Page|
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Her Secret Soldier – From Concept to Publication

Sometimes published writers can inadvertently give the impression that their journey to publication was easier than it actually was. The truth is that finding an agent and a publisher is tough - and I mean for ALL writers. You need a fabulous book, followed by a LOT of hard work … and then a heavy dose of luck. Most writers send out their work dozens of times before they land a deal. That was definitely the case with me. In spring 2023 I approached Bookouture with my first historical novel. I had been trying to find a publisher or agent for weeks without success. That submission led to several meetings with a wonderful acquisitions editor at Bookouture. She pointed out several issues with the novel [...]

2024-09-03T08:56:36-04:00September 3, 2024|Historical Fiction, Home Page, On Writing|
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Ten Terrific Historical Fiction Authors to Check Out Now!

One thing about writing historical fiction is that you read a lot of it! In the countdown to the Publication Day of Her Secret Soldier on 12 September, I’ve been re-reading some of my favourites. Here’s a list: Ellen Keith The Dutch Wife and The Dutch Orphan combine three essential ingredients of historical fiction: a fast-paced story, great research and prose that sings. Kristin Hannah While Kristin Hannah has written many note-worthy historical fictions, in my view the best are The Nightingale, set in Occupied France during WWII, and The Women, which brings to light the female unsung heroes of the Vietnam War. Kate Atkinson While not specifically known as a historical fiction author, Kate Atkinson tackles the genre with brilliance. In her novel [...]

2024-09-03T08:55:24-04:00August 8, 2024|Historical Fiction, Home Page|
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Making the Time to WRITE!

How do you make time to write in the midst of a busy schedule? Whether it’s poetry, short stories, memoir or novels you love writing, the challenge  is always the same: finding the time. Here’s 10 tips for anyone who loves writing, to help you keep the creative juices flowing no matter how busy you may be. Keep a creativity journal, and jot down ideas whenever and wherever they occur to you. A sudden idea for a short story… a line for a poem that appears out of nowhere… a fascinating detail about a passer-by you think would work for a character… get used to jotting down ideas whenever they occur. Keeping a notebook in your bag or a file on your phone is [...]

2024-08-02T09:15:03-04:00August 2, 2024|Home Page, On Writing|
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Forthcoming from Bookouture: Her Secret Soldier by Julie Hartley

I’m delighted to announce that my next book – and my first historical fiction – is now available to pre-order on Amazon Kindle. The paperback and Audible versions will be available for pre-order shortly before the publication date. It’s September 1940 and18-year-old Rose longs for her life to begin, but even though Europe is at war, nothing much happens in her sleepy corner of England. Then, one night, she witnesses a parachute drop through the sky and into the ancient woodland behind her home. On impulse, Rose follows… and discovers a German spy, injured and helpless. 19-year-old Walter claims he feels no loyalty towards Nazi Germany and always intended to give himself up to the British authorities. He has a story to support his claim [...]

2024-06-25T20:05:20-04:00June 25, 2024|Historical Fiction, Home Page|
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How to Write Historical Fiction

Are you interested in writing historical fiction? Here is a simple prompt to get you started: 1. Choose a historical event that you find interesting and research it for half an hour. Setting yourself a time limit for the research will minimize the chance that you fall down a rabbit hole in your research! 2. Create a character who may have a unique perspective on this event. This may not even be a person who experienced the event firsthand. For example, imagine the historical event you choose is Dunkirk.The character you choose could be the granddaughter of a soldier who fought in the battle, or, a fisherman who aided in the rescue of Allied troops - and perhaps your story begins with the discovery of [...]

2024-04-01T09:27:48-04:00April 3, 2024|Historical Fiction, Home Page, On Writing|
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Why I LOVE Writing – and Reading – Historical Fiction!

If you had asked me back in 2020 which genres I preferred as a writer, I would have said fantasy, science fiction, young adult, middle grade… anything but historical fiction. But then I discovered writers like Kristin Hannah and Kate Quinn, and I became hooked on the genre. Historical Fiction plunges the writer into an alternative world – not a fully imagined one, as fantasy does, but an alternative world that actually existed, and yet on some level must still be invented,  since we can never know what it was like to be there. Historical Fiction is a great way to step inside the shoes of people whose lives were so different from our own, but whose dreams and hopes were just the same. Reading [...]

2024-03-27T14:26:11-04:00March 27, 2024|Historical Fiction, Home Page, On Writing|
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A Creative Writing Prompt

As we move towards spring, here is a brand new creative writing prompt to inspire your creative processes! Choose a comfortable place in which to write, and take care to read all the instructions below before you begin. If you follow the prompt carefully, you may have a complete short story – or piece of flash fiction – by the time you are done. “Finally, I Told Them the Truth.” Write for 30minutes, beginning with this creative writing prompt. Try to stay in scene for at least the first few paragraphs, introducing your main character and the people in their life as they prepare to tell ‘the truth’. Remember that we pique the interest of our readers by continually offering them ‘hooks’, so don’t be [...]

2024-03-06T16:34:49-04:00March 6, 2024|Home Page, On Writing|
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The First Novel is DONE!

In October 2023, I signed a two book deal with Bookouture in London, England, The first book was due at the end of this month, and this morning, I delivered the completed manuscript to my editor, with 3 days to spare!  I’m not sure how much I’m permitted to share about the book or its title at this point in the process, so instead, I’m sharing a few thoughts about what it’s like to write a novel to a deadline. In short, I LOVED it. But it’s not for everyone. In October, this book existed only as a detailed chapter-by-chapter outline, and thirty or so sample pages. On every single day since then I’ve spent 2-4 hours on the book… in addition to my regular [...]

2024-01-26T11:38:17-04:00January 26, 2024|Home Page, On Writing|
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Announcing a Two Book Deal With Bookouture UK!

I am thrilled to announce that I have finalised a publishing contract with Bookouture UK. I am working on two novels set in World War Two – the first to be published in September this year and the second in February 2025. You can read about the deal here: https://bookouture.com/bookouture-acquires-sweeping-wwii-novels-by-author-julie-hartley/ This publishing contract represents a new direction in my writing career. My three previous books were published by well-respected Canadian presses – Red Deer Press (https://www.reddeerpress.com/),  Mansfield Press and Theatrefolk. Bookouture is a division of Hatchette, one of the ‘big five’, so this new contract is a fabulous opportunity to reach more readers… and to write every single day. On my creative writing retreats and in the writing classes I teach, I’m continually telling my [...]

2024-03-27T14:24:54-04:00January 16, 2024|Historical Fiction, Home Page, On Writing|
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