On writing fiction—a personal note
I’ve spent a career stringing words and sentences together and thinking about how to present ideas cogently. My professional public policy writing demanded clarity, fact-checking, and above all, even-handedness. I hope that work has been useful. You can find out more about it in the nonfiction section of this site.
My first novel, The Queen’s Musician, will be published by SparkPress and distributed by Simon & Schuster in spring, 2025. It tells the story of Mark Smeaton, a young musician who was executed as a lover of Anne Boleyn. According to historical sources, he was popular and successful, prominent enough to receive gifts from Henry VIII. He confessed to adultery with the queen, a confession that was almost certainly coerced. He was beheaded on May 17, 1536 along with four other men facing similar charges. Beyond these few facts, little is known about Mark Smeaton’s life—what he thought, what he dreamed of, what he feared. My novel invents his story.
I came to writing fiction late in the game. Compared to my nonfiction work, I find it a different, but seductive endeavor. It offers a chance to construct a world and live within it while you build it. You can create characters and come to know and love them. And compared to my professional work in public policy and public opinion, it offers one incomparable joy—you get to make stuff up.
Stephen King advises authors to “write what they like,” an exhilarating departure from the shopworn “write what you know.” A music lover, I’ve centered much of my fiction on the world of classical music and filled my books with musicians and music teachers. The Queen’s Musician’s protagonist is “a player of instruments and composer of song” at a time of glorious musical invention in England and across the continent. I am now working on a second novel titled The Twisted Curtain. Its characters include a charismatic conductor, a teacher who counsels performers with stage fright, and a gifted cellist.
Personally, I read all manner of books, but when I want to escape, I turn to mysteries or historical fiction. You’ll find elements of each genre in my novels. You can also read about some of my favorite books and authors in my blog, Historical Magic.
My own addition to King’s advice would be to create at least a few characters you truly admire. For me, that means people who listen and learn and strive to build honorable lives. It means those who pick up the pieces while others complain and moan.
You can read samples from my fiction here. And stay tuned. When the books are published, I hope you’ll let me know what you think about them.