On Historical Heroines, Research, and the Infamous Medici Family: An Interview with Elizabeth Loupas for HNS
Elizabeth Loupas arrived on the historical fiction scene in grand style with her debut novel, The Second Duchess, an exciting historical mystery with a supernatural twist. In her third novel, The Red Lily Crown, on sale April 1 from NAL Trade, Elizabeth returns to medieval Italy with the tale of an innocent young woman forced into service in Francesco de Medici’s court, where alchemy, dark magic, murder, and betrayal abound. On behalf of the Historical Novel Society, I recently had the chance to ask Elizabeth a few questions about her writing, her inspiration, and her research.
JQ: What inspired you to write historical fiction?
EL: I was inspired to write historical fiction because I’ve always loved to read historical fiction. When I was in grade school, I puzzled my way through my parents’ grown-up books by Frank Yerby and Thomas Costain, and even if I had to sound out some of the words, I was entranced by the swashbuckling and the sheer romance of it all. As I grew up and began to choose my own books, I fell headlong into the Angelique series by Sergeanne Golon, and later, the most formative of all, the inimitable Lymond books by Dorothy Dunnett. Historical fiction was always my favorite thing to read, and so of course it would be my favorite thing to make up for myself.
JQ: What inspired you to write historical fiction?EL: I was inspired to write historical fiction because I’ve always loved to read historical fiction. When I was in grade school, I puzzled my way through my parents’ grown-up books by Frank Yerby and Thomas Costain, and even if I had to sound out some of the words, I was entranced by the swashbuckling and the sheer romance of it all. As I grew up and began to choose my own books, I fell headlong into the Angelique series by Sergeanne Golon, and later, the most formative of all, the inimitable Lymond books by Dorothy Dunnett. Historical fiction was always my favorite thing to read, and so of course it would be my favorite thing to make up for myself.