in historical fiction 650 Words

As a Reader of Historical Novels, Do You Read the Author’s Notes Before or After you Read the Book?

Do you like having Author’s Notes at the end of an historical novel so you’ll know what was true, what was fiction, and what actually happened but was adjusted time-wise or by location to fit the flow of the story?

The Author’s Notes are almost always found at the back of an historical novel. I used to wait and read the Author’s Notes after I had finished reading an historical novel, but now I always read those notes first. The notes not only give insight about the story, but also make clear which parts of the book are based on fact and which parts are fictional.

Do you read the Author’s Notes before or after you read an historical novel?

An example from my ghost story

I thought it only fitting to include Author’s Notes at the end of my short story: Ghost of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse: An American Revolutionary War Ghost Story. In case you haven’t purchased the short story yet, here is my Author’s Note from the ghost story:

“I’ve never believed in ghosts, but this story is based on the events my sister and her housemate experienced in their condominium in Greensboro, North Carolina in the 1980s. The upstairs commode would flush when no one was upstairs. Cans occasionally fell off the pantry shelf. A house guest was frightened by the sensation that someone had walked into her bedroom and stood at the foot of the bed. In fact, she thought this person had called her by name – Mary. She had no knowledge of the unexplained incidents the residents had experienced.

“Peter Francisco was an actual American soldier in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. At six-feet-six-inches tall and 260 pounds, he was much larger than the average American man during that era. He was credited with being ruthless with his broadsword. There is a visitors’ center on the grounds of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse; however, the rest of the story is fiction.”

After reading my Author’s Note, are you more interested or less interested in reading my ghost story?

Since my last blog post

I’ve edited three of the historical short stories I drafted a few months ago. I took inventory of my historical short stories. I want to write five more from scratch before I publish the collection. Something to look forward to in 2024!

I’ve done more research about the colonial settlement of Bethabara, North Carolina and read more resources about Shallowford on the Yadkin River. This is needed research for my first historical novel. Something else to look forward to!

Until my next blog post

If you haven’t subscribed to my newsletter through my website, https://www.janetmorrisonbooks.com, please do so before you miss any more newsletters. The next one will go out around November 1. For subscribing, you’ll receive a free downloadable copy of “Slip Sliding Away: A Southern Historical Short Story,” so you can get a feel for my historical fiction writing. I have a “field trip” planned before October is over, but you’ll have to subscribe to my newsletter to hear about it.

Have you ordered my American Revolution e-ghost story?  “Ghost of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse: An American Revolutionary War Ghost Story” is available from Amazon, along with my other books: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CH7JCP11/. October is the perfect time to read a ghost story!

Anytime is the perfect time to purchase a cookbook! Have you ordered your copy of The Aunts I the Kitchen: Southern Family Recipes? Order one for yourself and one for each of your aunts at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJLKFDPR/. (It’s not too early to start your Christmas shopping.)

Make time for your friends and family.

Remember the people of Ukraine and Israel. Terrorism has no place in our world.

Janet

25 thoughts on “As a Reader of Historical Novels, Do You Read the Author’s Notes Before or After you Read the Book?”

  15. My thoughts exactly, Beverley. I don’t believe in ghosts, so it was quite strange that I wrote one. Toilets flushing upstairs when no one was upstairs? Cans falling off the pantry shelves? Sensations that someone was standing at the foot of the bed? My sister and her roommate experienced all these unexplainable things around 1980 when they lived near the Revolutionary War battleground in Greensboro, North Carolina. I finally got around to writing a ghost story inspired by those happenings.

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Thank, Rebecca. It was 23 degrees here this morning and at 1:30pm there was still ice in the bird bath — which was in the sun! I think I’m glad I’m not in WI ! LOL! ‘Tis the season, I suppose, but I’m never ready for it.

    Liked by 1 person

  21. How can that be? LOL! It was 83 degrees here on Sunday. We were blindsided by winter yesterday. Skipped right over autumn, although they’re predicting 77 this coming Sunday. It was in the teens in the NC mountains this morning. Makes it hard to know how to dress!

    Liked by 1 person

  23. It seems to me that more and more in North Carolina will have a very small window for autumn temperatures. It’s not unheard of to have some days in the low-80s in October, but it’s certainly not the norm. We had unseasonably warm weather all last week. My sister and I took a day trip to Winston-Salem, NC (which is in the northern piedmont) last Friday to visit the Bethabara Historic Site (settled by Moravians in 1753. There was lots of walking and very little shade. It was 84 degrees and it just about did us in. We really don’t expect heat like that the last week in October. The leaves are turning right on schedule, but it seems to me the trees would be confused. I went to college at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC (elevation 3,333 feet) and experienced snow as early as September and as late as Mother’s Day in my four years there. The coldest wind chill I heard announced on the radio was minus 61. I think it was minus 14 degrees and the wind was clocked at 80 mph. I wore snow boots for three straight weeks one winter. That was 50 years ago. That area just doesn’t seem to have weather like that anymore. The ski resorts in the Boone area have some years now when they have to depend on their snow machines because they don’t get enough real snow to stay open. That wasn’t a problem when I was a student there. Here in the southern piedmont, we usually had at least one good snow every winter, but I don’t think we got a flake last winter. I know we didn’t get enough to cover the ground. Things have definitely changed over my lifetime.

    Liked by 1 person

  25. Thank you, Beverley. I have the same problem, Beverley. I was just looking at the due dates of the books I have checked out at the library. There’s no way I’ll get all of them read.

    Liked by 1 person

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