Historical Flash Fiction Competition
For members of the Historical Association this competition was set out in the latest edition of The Historian. http://www.history.org.uk/resources/general_news_1795.html
All you need to do is write your piece of Flash Fiction which must be no longer than 275 words including the title and send to:
The Historical Association, 59a Kennington Park Road, London SE11 4JH by 4 June 2013.
With your entry please include the story title, the number of words, your name, membership number and your email address.
The winning entry will receive a prize of a Bath Aqua glass paperweight and a £30 book token and will be published in the next edition of The Historian and on the H.A. website.
New Lindsey Davis book
Following on the heels of her article on writing historical fiction in The Historian http://www.history.org.uk/resources/general.html Lindsey Davis’s new Roman detective makes her debut. To see a review of the recently published The Ides of April http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/may/09/ides-april-lindsey-davis-review?INTCMP=SRCH
The Historian
The latest issue of The Historian, no. 117, is devoted to historical fiction. There are articles from novelist Lindsey Davis and costume designer Susannah Buxton, reviews of adult historical fiction by Richard Lee of the Historical Novel Society and a survey of historical fiction written for children since the 1950s by Fiona M Collins. Judith Graham considers the changing covers of Cue for Treason by Geoffrey Trease whilst historians Marisa Linton and Ian Scott review Pure and Lincoln respectively.
The magazine is for members of the Historical Association http://www.history.org.uk/ and copies will be available at the forthcoming HA conference in York 10th & 11th May.
Young Quills 2013 shortlist announced
The Historical Association have today announced the shortlist for the Young Quills Award 2013. This is based upon the reviews of young readers in schools around the country.
Secondary
Eleven Eleven, Paul Dowswell (Bloomsbury)
The Things We Did for Love, Natasha Farrant (Faber & Faber)
After, Morris Gleitzman (Puffin)
Spy for the Queen of Scots, Teresa Breslin (Random House)
A Skull in Shadows Lane, Robert Swindells (Random House)
Primary
Titanic: Death on the Water, Tom & Tony Bradman (The National Archives / A & C Black)
Road to London, Barbara Mitchelhill (Andersen Press)
Hitler’s Angels, William Osborne (Chicken House)
Gods and Warriors, Michelle Paver, (Puffin)
The Great Escape, Megan Rix, (Puffin)
Have you entered yet?
Entries for the 2013 Write Your Own Historical Story competition have started to arrive over the Easter period. Are your school entering?
Write Your Own Historical Story 2013
This Historical Association competition is running again this year. There is one change, now in response to requests from teachers, Year 5 students can also enter the Joan Blyth prize alongside Year 6. The entry form is attached to this post. the closing date in 2o May 2013 and results will be published here and on the HA website on 24 June 2013. Historical fiction comp13
Spy for the Queen of Scots
This new title from Theresa Breslin has just been reviewed in the Guardian. She has written a range of excellent historical fiction in the past and the reviewer, Tony Bradman, is complimentary about ‘the detail of court ritual, the fabulous clothes and jewellery, …’ and also notes, ‘There are dangers and dilemma, plots and poisonings, …’.
However, he also comments on that difficult problem for any author of historical fiction, getting the balance right between the history they have researched and the demands of the narrative. In his view this history is ’all there on the page, usually in chunks of undigested exposition.’ http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/17/spy-queen-theresa-breslin-review?INTCMP=SRCH 
Bearing in mind the quality of Theresa Breslin’s work you will no doubt want to read it for yourself to make up your own mind. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spy-Queen-Scots-Theresa-Breslin/dp/0385617054/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345367269&sr=1-5#_
