Family Histories: It isn’t even past

If you like historical fiction, odds are you’ve run across Adrienne Morris’ blog, “Nothing Gilded, Nothing Gained – Period Drama on Paper at Middlemay Farm.” She promotes her historical novels there and shares her ideas on history and how to write about it.

Adrienne invited me to write a piece for her Family History series. Here it is. And while you’re there, take the opportunity to sample Adrienne’s work as well. Her first book, The House on Tenafly Road, was chosen as an Editor’s Choice Book by The Historical Novel Society.

Author Adrienne Morris

Welcome to another installment of Family Histories. Today my featured guest is KEVIN BRENNAN, an accomplished novelist and editor. Kevin discusses how other people’s family stories have influenced his writing–particularly a family he knew growing up in the 1970’s during the Watergate hearings.  (The featured image is of my father and me during that same period–possibly watching the hearings)

I appreciate Adrienne’s invitation to write something for her Family History series, following a little discussion we had about phoniness and internet authenticity a while back. She mentioned her faith and I mentioned my atheism, and we both liked each other’s frankness on what can be a touchy subject online.

I’ve been thinking a lot about family history lately because I’m seeking an agent for my new novel about a unique family, the Heartneys. Their moment of crisis takes place in 1973, during the period of the Senate Watergate hearings…

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