Writing Historical Romances and What Comes First: the history or the romance?

I've been asked this question often enough that I should have the response rehearsed. I don't. The answer depends on many factors.

Writing historicals is an unusual job for me. In school, history wasn't my favorite subject. In fact, I thought it was terribly boring. I realized as an adult, my teachers didn't make it interesting for me. So why am I writing historical romances? And how much of history goes into each story? Do I look up a historical fact and weave a romance around it? Or do I have a romance in mind and fill in history of the time?

Let's begin with the reason I write romances. Growing up, I read anything I could get my hands on. In my early twenties, I discovered historical romances. They certainly were more romantic than Jacqueline Susann or Jackie Collins. I credit Kathleen Woodiwiss and Johanna Lindsey for tickling my muse and starting me on the writing path. What I loved about historical romances was the fantasy of visiting far away places coupled with a dashing hero and a heroine who, despite an aversion to the hero, fell in love with him anyway. This was the time when heroes were extremely Alpha. They ruled with an iron-clad heart and a libido they appeased no matter that the heroine didn't want him. She would eventually come around.

When I wrote my first historicals, I concentrated on the American West. I grew up in Southern California, near Hollywood. There were many influences from the acting community and my friends who were in the business. On TV, westerns were popular. I loved going to Knott's Berry Farm for its western feel, and to Universal Studios where my sister worked. I was able to get in without paying and attended many special events. One such event was an evening with actors and stuntmen from western movies and TV series filmed at Universal.

The American West's rich history spurred numerous ideas in my head. In fact, there were so many that I had to keep a notebook just to get them out and free my mind to concentrate on one story. Back then, I'd have a name and occupation for the hero and heroine. Next, I would come up with a story idea. And lastly, the location and history. I used to over research because of my lack of knowledge of history. But I concentrated mostly on the relationship and romance, sprinkling in the history.

I am and have always been a by-the-seat-of-my-pants writer. I couldn't write an outline to save my life. But the one thing that stayed true in my stories was the history. There were times when I discovered an interesting historical fact, which inevitably changed the story a bit. I'm a firm believer in "truth is stranger than fiction." So I keep an open mind and go with an unusual historical tidbit as well as the insistence of my heroes and heroines who often do their own thing. There were many times they backed me into a corner plot wise, and I had to figure out how to get them out of a situation.

I've come a long way since writing my first historical. And I've grown a complete interest in history, kicking myself over and over for not paying more attention in school. These days, I begin a book by researching the history. I do have a hero and heroine in mind, but their relationship is often worked around history. For instance, in the first book of my four-book Italian medieval series, THE LILY AND THE FALCON, I knew I wanted it to take place in 15th century Florence, the town of my ancestors. I learned that the powerful Cosimo de' Medici had been exiled from Florence by his rival, Rinaldo degli Albizzi. Immediately I knew the hero had to be a Medici (the more influential family) and the heroine an Albizzi. Because of their families' constant battle to be the unofficial ruler of Florence, they had issues of mistrust. To add the feeling of place and time to the story, I used actual events, such as a hanging, along with the broken down governmental changes, as well as researched portrayals of Cosimo and Rinaldo, both of whom make appearances in the book.

So in answer to the question of whether the history or the romance comes first, as I stated in the first paragraph, it depends. Although history is a vital aspect in my novels, it will always be the backdrop for the hero and heroine's romantic quest.

Jannine Corti Petska

Assapora la passione (Feel the Passion)

www.jcortipetska.com