Historical fiction writing and reading

Jane Austen – Never out of fashion

In case you missed it, last year was 250 years since Jane Austen was born and yet her novels continue to be a source of delight. Most readers of Austen have a favourite novel. In my twenties, my favourite was Pride and Prejudice, but later I grew to love the spoof quality of Northanger Abbey. Now I’d have to say my favourite is Persuasion for its glimpse into her writing process – we have both her draft ‘sensible’ ending and the final published ending and can only applaud the high romantic drama of the ending she chose.

Which novel is the best is always contested but not as fiercely as which screen adaptation. The 2022 movie of Persuasion had Austen fans outraged by its anachronistic dialogue, for example. More commonly, the fashion choices in adaptations can be challenging. Who can forget the wardrobe of the 1940 Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier movie of Pride and Prejudice which could have come directly from the set of Gone with the Wind?

My interest in fashion in Austen’s time was piqued by a small collection of Austen family heirlooms and Regency fashion which were displayed at a picnic co-hosted by the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation and the National Trust of Australia (Victoria), held at historic home of ‘Invergowrie’ in Hawthorn, Melbourne. The display was fascinating for its homespun quality of breakfast crockery and hand sewn garments. The items were provided by the special guest at the event, Caroline Jane Knight, 5^th great-niece of Austen, who grew up at Chawton House where Jane lived and wrote. Caroline has written about her Austen connection in her book ‘Jane & Me: My Austen Heritage’ (available in paperback and ebook versions from all major online retailers).

To get a more detailed look at the fashion of the era I’m heading to an event at the National Gallery of Victoria, ‘Dress in the age of Jane Austen with Hilary Davidson’ to be held this coming Saturday 10^th January. Although live tickets are sold out, apparently there are still online tickets available.

Hilary Davidson is described as a leading fashion historian and author whose work looks how fashion influences and expresses social and cultural changes. Her most recent book is ‘A Guide to Regency Dress from Corsets and Breaches to Bonnets and Muslins’ was published in December 2025 – illustrated and available in hardcover from online retailers.

We can only hope that the latest screen adaptations have consulted similar experts. There’s a new production of Pride and Prejudice underway as a six-part Netflix series with Emma Corin as Elizabeth Bennet, Jack Lowden as Mr Darcy, and Olivia Colman as Mrs Bennet, and Rufus Sewell as Mr Bennet. I confess that Rufus Sewell as Mr Bennet strikes me as a bit of a stretch, but at least the early photographs of the female cast look hopeful.

There’s no word on when that series will be completed but, in the meantime, we can look forward to a new movie of Sense and Sensibility due for release in September 2026. The cast includes Daisy Edgar-Jones as Elinor Dashwood, Esme Creed-Miles as Marianne Dashwood, Caitriona Balfe (of Outlander fame) as Mrs Dashwood, Herbert Nordrum as Colonel Brandon, and Frank Dillane as that cad John Willoughby. I’m particularly looking forward to seeing what actress Fiona Shaw will do with the wonderful gossipy character of Mrs Jennings.

Only nine months to wait …

OUT NOW!

I am very excited to announce that my historical fiction trilogy, The Sisters’ Saga, is now officially released from the confines of my desk drawer to make its own way in the world.

Back in 2015, a box of my husband’s family history records sat staring at me from the kitchen table. The first folder I opened was the lively memoir of Harriet Dowling and it sent me on a journey of research into colonial Sydney and British India. While I stopped on the way to corral what I’d learned into a short biography of Harriet, I knew from the start that she was a heroine to inspire historical fiction, and so that was my destination.

Like all journeys, I’ve lost my way several times, been sidetracked to other places, and struggled to find a way forward at times. My biggest dilemma involved handling the historical ‘truth’ of people’s lives while letting the narrative develop. This is an old chestnut in the world of writing historical fiction, with some writers landing on the truth is paramount side, and others favouring the story. The turning point was when I came to understand that, in fact, I did not know the internal thoughts and motivations of the people who inspired my characters, and that it was a more ‘truthful’ representation to render them as fictional characters with a life of their own.

The practical consequence of this understanding was that I gave all the central characters and some places new names, and this small step was immensely freeing. I did, however, keep the names of well-known historical figures about whom we have a considerable range of of primary and secondary sources of information. Also, in line with common practice in the world of historical fiction, at the end of each volume, I have provided details of the fictional departures from the sources which provided my initial inspiration.

Here’s a short 4 minute audio ‘taster’ of the result, from Volume 1 Maiden Manoeuvres!

Coming soon!

The Sisters’ Saga

A story told across four decades, in three volumes.

Maiden Manoeuvres is the first of three in The Sisters’ Saga, which tells of three sisters and the compromises they must make to reconcile love’s delusions with the demands of reality. This historical fiction novella focuses on the eldest sister, Henrietta Burbridge in the early 1800s in colonial Sydney and Calcutta. Henrietta’s sisters collect flowers to catalogue and make detailed drawings. But Henrietta is not like them. She lets the petals scatter where they may.

Dearest Daughter is the second of three in The Sisters’ Saga, which tells of three sisters and the compromises they must make to reconcile love’s delusions with the demands of reality. In this short historical fiction novel, the lives of the younger sisters, Rose and Beth Burbridge are turned upside down by Henrietta’s return from India. In colonial Sydney between 1825-35, Henrietta asks why, if matrimony is the bedrock of the family, is it so hard for love to survive marriage? But her sisters must answer a very different question: How much would they trade for matrimony?

Widow’s Wake is the last of three in The Sisters’ Saga, which tells of three sisters and the compromises they must make to reconcile love’s delusions with the demands of reality. In this short historical fiction novel, over the course of a single voyage from Sydney to London in 1847, Henrietta must reconcile the regrets of her past in order to truly cast aside her widow’s weeds and embrace the adventures ahead. She is the heroine of the colourful tales she shares with young Mr Morgan Mayhew. However, their 1847 voyage from Sydney to London will be one tale neither will ever divulge.