Adapted Quote by Seth Grahame-Smith

As a fiction writer, of course, you need to take some leeway with certain aspects of history to make the story work.

— Joseph Boyden

We've all faced the charge that our novels are history lite, and to some extent, that's true. Yet for some, historical fiction is a…

— Saul David

Fiction is ideally suited to re-creating the important emotional aspects of history.

— Alix Kates Shulman

Writing historical novels can be dangerous. We need to be as accurate and as fair about the historical record as we can be, at…

— Edward Rutherfurd

If you're writing something that's clearly labelled as an alternative history, of course it's perfectly legitimate to play with known historical characters and events,…

— Diana Gabaldon

Historical novels are about costumery. I think that's the magic and mystery of fiction. I don't want to write historical fiction but I do…

— Chang-Rae Lee

I could write historical fiction, or science fiction, or a mystery but since I find it fascinating to research the clues of some little…

— Jean M. Auel

I often tell people who want to write historical fiction: don't read all that much about the period you're writing about; read things from…

— Thomas Mallon

I can't read historical fiction because I find the real thing so much more interesting.

— Antonia Fraser

Historical fiction is not history. You're blending real events and actual historical personages with characters of your own creation.

— George R. R. Martin

Obviously, I love to do both contemporary and historical fiction. When a hint of a story grabs me, I try to go with it…

— Katherine Paterson

I think fiction recues history from its confusions.

— Don DeLillo