Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Coming soon to bookstores near you

This past summer, the editor of Bookmarks Magazine asked me if I'd like to write a followup to the "best historical fiction" piece I wrote for them three years ago. (If you click on the link, that's a photo of editor Jon Phillips at the top, not me.)

So this afternoon I was browsing the website of Bookmarks and was very excited to see the cover of their November/December issue.

I love it, needless to say, and can't wait to see what they did with the interior layout.

Bookmarks gave me the opportunity to conceptualize the article, within the general parameters of "great historical fiction." I decided to highlight a dozen very current trends in the genre, the novels that inspired them, and some of the best examples of each category. If you get hold of the article, I hope you enjoy reading the result, even if you don't agree with all of my choices!

Copies should be available in bookstores and subscribers' mailboxes in early November; they can also be ordered through their website if your bookstore doesn't carry it.

20 comments:

  1. This is my kind of issue! I love historical fiction.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I loved that issue! I'm so glad they're doing a follow-up. Congratulations on the gorgeous cover to go with your article!

    Lezlie

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous11:16 AM

    Beautiful cover! Will have to get it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congratulations! That's awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Received my copy in the mail a few days ago and thought it was great!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks, all! That's cool it's out already. I haven't gotten my extras yet and am real curious what the rest of it looks like!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Congratulations Sarah! I just ordered mine from your link.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow, great! Hope you like the article.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Can you order just single issues? Much as I'd love to subscribe, it's not really in the budget right now.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh - and as I already commented on Facebook, it's a great cover and I know the article is fantastic :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Yep, if you want, you can order just the one issue (see last link in my post). Not sure how much postage is to Canada, but there may be some Canadian bookstores that carry it too :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I look forward to seeing it. I subscribe to Bookmarks -- I think it's a wonderful magazine.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I hope you enjoy reading the piece, Sandra. Actually, you are in it! As is Catherine.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous10:57 PM

    Thanks for sharing this! This is a MUST READ!

    Holly
    http://www.wondersandmarvels.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. I've read the first part of the article and am impressed. However, if you're looking for historical fiction from India, I would not recommend M. M. Kaye. Try Sunil Gangopadhyay--he's written two books on the Bengal Renaissance, featuring a large cast of historical characters--and Bhisham Sahni--he has written about Punjab under British rule. Gangopadhyay's books, These Days, and First Light are published by Penguin India, and Sahni's books, The Mansion and Tamas are published by HarperCollins India. Bapsi Sidhwa, too, has written a wonderful novel about India's partition (Ice Candy Man) as has Khushwant Singh (Train to Pakistan). Singh has also written an excellent book on Delhi.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi Devaki,

    Thanks so much for your suggestions and comments. A few years ago I went on a small buying binge of historical novels from an online Indian bookstore (I wish I could remember the website now). One of the novels was Khushwant Singh's Delhi, as I enjoy epics about historical places - I'm glad to hear it's a good one as I haven't read it yet. The other authors and titles you listed are new to me. I will check them out.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous10:24 PM

    I bought this at Borders the other day and blogged about it as well ;)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thanks, Arleigh! The issue containing v.1 has been sold out for a while but the article itself is online. I'm glad to hear you found a copy at Borders, as some of their stores haven't been stocking the current issue.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I will be ordering the issue as soon as I finish typing this.

    I used the link to read your original article. Of COURSE I had lots of favorite books from the list, and of COURSE I kept thinking "how could she leave out ....?"

    I am so pleased to have found this blog!

    ReplyDelete