Even if you have a passion for telling true stories, you may find some subjects that can only be told as historical fiction. For instance, I wanted to write a story about how Irish immigrants brought their Halloween traditions to America in the mid to late 19th century. I researched and researched but there was no single person to credit for this. So I turned to the genre of historical fiction to create LILA AND THE JACK-O’-LANTERN, HALLOWEEN COMES TO AMERICA.
While my story about a young girl, Lila, who emigrates to America with her family and introduces her customs to a new friend is fictional, I rooted the story in carefully researched history, using the tools I used to craft my nonfiction books. I studied the potato famine, called the Gorta Mor, the Great Hunger, that propelled mass emigration from Ireland to America. I studied Irish Halloween traditions, including why people carved turnips and put lit candles in them – to scare away a tricky spirit named Jack. That’s why the carved turnips were called jack-o’-lanterns! Then I created a storyline about Lila, like many of the Irish immigrants of that time, not finding turnips in their new country and substituting a new gourd they found called a pumpkin to make their jack-o’-lanterns.
My research not only helped me in building the world for the story, it helped the illustrator, Anneli Brey, create scenes that were accurate for the place and time. I was glad that I saved the historical photos I collected of children at that time, of New York City at that time, of turnip and pumpkin jack-o’-lanterns at that time. The research was fun to do and I was able to use much of what didn’t fit into the text in the back matter, including a recipe for colcannon, a favorite and popular food for Irish immigrants at that time.So don’t get discouraged if your topic doesn’t fit neatly into a non-fiction framework. Use your non-fiction tricks to build your historical fiction world. Save your notes and references, including your photos, just as carefully as you do when you research your purely nonfiction topics. You and your editors will be glad you did. Plus, all that nonfiction research should serve you well in your teacher guide and presentations. Those are treats that you and your readers will enjoy!
Meet the Author:
Meet the Author:
Nancy Churnin, a proud Nonfiction Chick and co-founder of the NF Fest, is the award-winning author of 10 nonfiction picture books with six new books launching in 2023 including her first historical fiction picture book: LILA AND THE JACK-O’-LANTERN, HALLOWEEN COMES TO AMERICA, coming Sept. 1 from Albert Whitman & Company. Nancy is the winner of the National Jewish Book Award, a Sydney Taylor Honor, two Sydney Taylor Notables, the South Asia Book Award and more. She lives in North Texas with her husband, journalist and author Michael Granberry, a dog named Dog and two cantankerous cats.
Fascinating how you took history and turned it into an engaging and meaningful story, Nancy, especially one connected to a fun holiday. I can't wait to read this next book!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words, Robin. Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. I am excited to share this story with you and young readers who love Halloween, too!
DeleteOh wow! I cannot wait to read this book!! I am half Irish and I find the entire concept here fascinating!
ReplyDeleteWOW - so many new books this year. I am new to NF writing but published in fiction picture books. This may unlock a new area.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the useful post.
ReplyDeleteI can’t wait to get my hands on your Halloween book Nancy!
ReplyDeleteThat was a great idea! I will remember to consider historical fiction as another avenue for sharing research. Congratulations on your book. I look forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteNancy, thank you for helping me return to a idea. I’m going to try it in historical fiction.
ReplyDeleteI love this story and I didn't know where that tradition came from!
ReplyDeleteFascinating! I'll try carving a turnip next October and share Lila's story with my dear little ones.
ReplyDeleteWhat perfect timing this post is for me. We discussed this very thing on a crit group last night while critiquing a manuscript. I'm going to point them over here. Thanks Nancy!
ReplyDeleteLoved reading about your new book!
ReplyDeleteSorry about the anonymous! Can't wait to read this new book, Nancy!
DeleteNANCY: As someone who knows about how the Irish brought my FAVORITE holiday to America, I am SO EXCITED for your book! I think telling it through the eyes of a fictional character will actually make it more relatable to kids and bring it alive in a way that perhaps the nonfiction wouldn't have. THANK YOU for the reminder to make sure we test what genre is best for each and every story.
ReplyDeleteNancy, so fun to learn about the origins of this holiday and at the same time glean wisdom from your process. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteI'm really looking forward to this book! I also love the idea of historical fiction PB (trying to be brave enough to write one).
ReplyDeleteSorry - that was written by me, Julia!
ReplyDeleteFascinating post today! I remember reading about Irish Halloween traditions and laughing about turnips being carved. Excellent advice about using research to build a historical fictional world.
ReplyDeleteVery helpful, Nancy! My own roots are Irish and I loved doing research on family members! Look forward to the book!
ReplyDeleteAnother fascinating book to come from Nancy Churnin. Thanks for the post and can't wait to see this book!
ReplyDeleteLove looking at those old turnip jack-o-lanterns, Nancy. Yes, there are so many uses for great research that may not make it in text but informs or adds to it in other ways. Great post.
ReplyDeleteNancy - Wow this book looks and sounds so cool! I can't wait to read it. I love your "treats" reference to the BM & teacher's guides and the important reminder to save everything.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post. Historical fiction is definitely something I’d like to explore. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI've sometimes felt that maybe the true story I want to tell would better be told as science fiction... thanks for the great tips about back matter, teacher's guides, and reference photos for illustrators.
ReplyDeleteNancy, thank you for the tips and peek inside your process to research your stories. I look forward to reading LILA and the JACK-O-LANTERN. I have a bit o' Irish in me. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for a great post, Nancy! I enjoyed the behind the scenes look at the research for your new PB! You always dig until you find the most amazing and interesting historical tidbits! Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteNancy, thank you for this useful post. I am looking forward to reading Lila and your other forthcoming books.
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing this book, Nancy. It’s odd that no one has done a PB about this. Maybe it’s bc everyone else got stuck thinking it had to be non-fiction!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great tips, Nancy! I'm looking forward to this book.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your post. I like writing historical fiction.
ReplyDeleteI love the notion to keep and reuse research. Nothing is wasted!
ReplyDeleteAwesome, story to add to my library!
ReplyDeleteTerrific post. Yes, sometimes historical fiction is the answer. I look forward to reading your book.
ReplyDeleteI love historical fiction in the adult genre. Haven’t read many picture books that fit in this category but it looks like you found the way to tell this fascinating story. Thanks for sharing your process, Nancy. I can’t wait to read this book!
ReplyDeleteOne of my WIPs is an historical fiction story. Thank you for the many helpful suggestions and tips, Nancy.
ReplyDeleteSuzy Leopold
Thank you , Nancy. So much inspiration here as I sort through all my historical facts and photos. Also trying to intertwine a real life story of a great granddaughter of the subject. Research actually sparks ideas. Much appreciation.
ReplyDeleteInteresting! When a friend and I lived with a family in Dublin in 1980, we reintroduced Jack-o-lanterns to them! “It’s only a Veg-e-table!” The mom said to her frightened daughter.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nancy. I like your historical fiction approach to your problem.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a brilliant premise for Lila... awesome find!
ReplyDeleteThanks Nancy for your great tips on saving research ideas, photos for another idea!
ReplyDeleteThe illustrations for your story looks like a perfect match too. Looking forward to this one.
As a retired teacher, I now write NF PB for ages 4-8. Thank you for reminding me that back-matter matters! You have saved me from minimizing what could give depth and focus to my books. Appreciate all you do!
ReplyDeleteThank you for an amazing post! What a clever way to look at historical nonfiction. I'm looking forward to reading your book!
ReplyDeleteI struggled so much with this very fine line when writing my last NF PB. I mean struggled to the point I almost gave up on several occasions. In fact, I posted about it on this NFFest FB page, and some of you jumped in to save me. Thankfully, I pushed on, and it just sold to Little Brown. But no joke, I thought I'd crossed a line into HF at points. Not that it would have been bad, but I wondered where the line would be drawn, so I especially appreciate this post. And . . . this Irish girl can't wait to read your book when it comes out in September. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteThanks Nancy for this great post. I have a project that may just need to done as historical fiction.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this backstory. AN encouragement to all of us in the trenches! Carol Baldwin
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Nancy! Thanks for the enlightenment about historical fiction and the story of how Lila came to be!
ReplyDeleteSo interesting to get a peek into the history of the jack-o-lantern AND your writing process!
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of ideas that would be better served as historical fiction or informational fiction. Looking forward to reading Lila and the Jack-o'-Lantern as a mentor text. As an aside, I grew up in Northern Ireland, carving turnips for Halloween.
ReplyDeleteSometimes that fictional approach to history is the best way to go for kids. And I appreciate the reminder to save any and all research, including photos.
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