Mixing History and Fantasy, Part 2

Here’s “Mixing History and Fantasy, Part 2” by guest blogger Betty Kulich. To read the first part of her blog, click her. Betty discusses how she combined the two genres for her novella, The Mask. Your turn, Betty!

As a Christian author, the connection to the supernatural needed a Biblical spiritual connection and not that of the usual supernatural, occult empowerment.  This took some prayer and meditation, asking God who was the first author (Hebrews 12:2) for some creative thoughts to direct my story line. The fruit of meditation and prayer brought thoughts of how slaves came to America from Africa. That could become my link for the travel from Africa to the South prior to the Civil War and the time of the Underground Railroad’s operation. But why was the Mask in Africa to begin with? This is where another Holy Spirit inspirational thought connecting Solomon and the Queen of Sheba whose origin some say was Ethiopian—an African nation. Researching many legends and speculations surrounding their story, I spun more ideas to create a romantic story that connected King Solomon, the Queen of Sheba, their romance, and marriage, to a supernatural mask given as a wedding present from Magi in the Middle East. A supernatural mask given to transform a woman into her God-given personality and destiny that always ended with true and perfect love as God intended. 

Now I needed a story thread to get the Mask from the Middle East to Africa and finally to the United States in the Civil War era. I linked the Mask through the Queen of Sheba’s son to generations of African tribal chieftains who passed the special mask through their first-born daughters. This would allow the Mask to travel down into multiple generations until one of those chieftain’s daughters would be kidnapped by slave traders for auction in America. Secreted in her clothing the mask traveled to America, but how would it get from the slave industry of the Southern states to Ohio, a free state, and a “station” on the Underground Railroad’s Ohio Literary Trail—the Rankin House? This became the next leg of the story.

Would the story end in that time period or continue traveling through later eras, even perhaps into the present? I wanted it to continue and connect to the House of Four Pillars, a trunk from its attic and discovery of that trunk years later, bridging the gap to the present. I wanted to keep the Mask moving to more women, who needed it’s help to find their true love.

The House of the Four Pillars would connect as another stop on the Underground Railroad as the slaves made their journey to freedom in Canada. The House of Four Pillars could allow a new fictitious character to inherit the Mask from the African tribal daughter who only had sons. The Mask would now begin to work in a new life bringing perfect love to a heart for a lifetime. Through my fictitious trunk, the Mask would await a new owner for over one hundred years before beginning to work again. I needed to create a way for the trunk to get into the hands of a modern-day family with a daughter who needed the Mask to transform her life. I did that through an auction to support the Ohio Historical Society. The auction would bring the trunk containing the Mask eventually to the present, transforming another woman’s life by the supernatural powers and bringing her to the destiny and true love God had planned for her.

The Mask, a novella, has many opportunities for new and intersecting stories of others in the linage of the mask. What about others who misused the mask and its powers?  What about women who inherited it and were too fearful to wear it? Many possibilities for the creation of other short novella spinoffs from The Mask await!

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Ohio Trail Mix

Ohio is full of literary connections. Libraries, museums, homes of authors, historical sites.Did you know Superman was born in Ohio?Did you know Harriet Beecher Stowe lived in the Cincinnati area?Check out the Ohio Literary Trail, compiled by Ohioana, for more interesting facts.

But before that, we invite you to enjoy some stories inspired by visits to a handful of Ohio Literary Trail sites in the last year. Your imagination might be sparked. Or at the very least, your curiosity!

“Mazza Mystery” by Bettie Boswell: Just who was the woman pretending to be a known artist? Why?

“Bovine” by JPC Allen: An elitist author comes to a backwater Ohio county, thinking he’s found the perfect setting for the perfect crime.

“Between Semicolons and Plot Twisters” by Rebecca Waters: An author finds more in common with Harriet Beecher Stowe than she ever would have guessed, when modern-day slavery comes close to home.

“The Mask” by Betty Kulich: A gift of true love is passed through the ages.


“Books: Caged and Free” by Michelle L. Levigne: On a moonlit night, old books come to life to share their stories.

BUY LINKS: AmazonGoodreadsYe Olde Dragons Books

*****

Betty Kulich

Betty Kulich is an ordained pastor and serves as an Associate Pastor with her husband Rick of 50 years at Redeemer’s Church, Columbus, Ohio. Betty is the Director of Women’s Ministry for Harvest Preparation International Ministries (HPIM) of Sarasota, Florida for Mexico and Central America. Winner of the 2021 CIPA Book Award for General Fiction (The River & El Rio). Author of The Mask: A Historical Fiction Novella for an anthology based around the Ohio Literary Trail. Devotional author for Guidepost Books & Abundant Books. Winner of the 2020 Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to being an international speaker & author, she hosts short vlogs on Facebook called “Life Outside the Pages” and a YouTube ministry channel for Hispanic Women. Betty is a certified P.O.W.E.R. speaker through AWSA. Member of AWSA, WW, ACFW, CIPA, Blue Ridge. Connect with Betty on her websiteFB page, or contact page.

Mixing History and Fantasy, Part 1

I have yet another new author to introduce to you this month. Betty Kulich has a novella in the same anthology my inverse mystery short story “Bovine” appears in, Ohio Trail Mix. Her story, “The Mask”, is genre-bending, mixing history and fantasy. Tell us all about your story, Betty!

How can someone write creative fiction based on historical facts? Good question and one that I had to answer to write a short novella for an anthology assignment for my Ohio Chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers. It all started with two independent elements: first, a creative fictional concept of a mask possessing supernatural powers and second, how to link its fantasy with facts about the Ohio Literary Trail. How would I create the connection?

I started by gathering history about various Ohio Literary Trail sites (homes, farms, and estates), and why they were relevant to the Ohio Literary Trail. It took several visits to different locals before I found places and facts that intrigued me enough to write about them. I was always fascinated with the Civil War and loved the romance of the era since I watched the epic cinematic production of Margaret Mitchell’s novel – Gone with the Wind. My research revealed several Ohio Literary Trail locations had ties to the Civil War and the Underground Railroad. With these Ohio historical connectors, a fictional story began to gel in my mind.

The House of Four Pillars in Toledo along the Maumee River intrigued me. The appearance of the home and its architecture spoke Civil War era to me. Internet searches and information from both old newspapers and historical societies documented that the house existed during the Civil War era and had been used as a station for the Underground Railroad. It became easy to imagine a trunk full of long forgotten items in the attic of the House of Four Pillars. An old steamer trunk was perfect for a supernatural mask to rest, maintaining its secrets until the time of revelation for its next heir! Now I had a relevant element to begin weaving a story. The image of a dusty old trunk would transport readers back in time. Now I could begin interspersing history with fictional characters around an intriguing story line that could connect the past to the present—all connected to the supernatural mask. 

My continued research took me to the Harriet Beecher-Stowe house in Cincinnati, followed by a full day trip to Ripley touring the John Rankin House, museum, and the Underground Railroad Museum. These venues provided contextual historical information—details that I could use as the backdrop for my fictional story of a supernatural mask that somehow appeared in Ohio during slavery times. With the historical side of the story line developing, I now had to ponder on how the mask was supernatural, why had it become supernatural, who had created it, and for what purpose? What would happen when the mask was worn?

To learn the answers to these questions, come back next week for the second part of “Mixing History and Fantasy” by Betty Kulich.

*****

Ohio Trail Mix

Ohio is full of literary connections. Libraries, museums, homes of authors, historical sites.Did you know Superman was born in Ohio?Did you know Harriet Beecher Stowe lived in the Cincinnati area?Check out the Ohio Literary Trail, compiled by Ohioana, for more interesting facts.

But before that, we invite you to enjoy some stories inspired by visits to a handful of Ohio Literary Trail sites in the last year. Your imagination might be sparked. Or at the very least, your curiosity!

“Mazza Mystery” by Bettie Boswell: Just who was the woman pretending to be a known artist? Why?

“Bovine” by JPC Allen:  An elitist author comes to a backwater Ohio county, thinking he’s found the perfect setting for the perfect crime.

“Between Semicolons and Plot Twisters” by Rebecca Waters: An author finds more in common with Harriet Beecher Stowe than she ever would have guessed, when modern-day slavery comes close to home.

“The Mask” by Betty Kulich: A gift of true love is passed through the ages.


“Books: Caged and Free” by Michelle L. Levigne: On a moonlit night, old books come to life to share their stories.

BUY LINKS: AmazonGoodreadsYe Olde Dragons Books

*****

Betty Kulich is an ordained pastor and serves as an Associate Pastor with her husband,

Rick of 50 years at Redeemer’s Church, Columbus, Ohio. Betty is the Director of Women’s Ministry for Harvest Preparation International Ministries (HPIM) of Sarasota, Florida for Mexico and Central America. Winner of the 2021 CIPA Book Award for General Fiction (The River & El Rio). Author of The Mask: A Historical Fiction Novella for an anthology based around the Ohio Literary Trail. Devotional author for Guidepost Books & Abundant Books. Winner of the 2020 Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to being an international speaker & author, she hosts short vlogs on Facebook called “Life Outside the Pages” and a YouTube ministry channel for Hispanic Women. Betty is a certified P.O.W.E.R. speaker through AWSA. Member of AWSA, WW, ACFW, CIPA, Blue Ridge. Connect with Betty on her website, FB page, or contact page.

Step into the Past with Historical Fiction

It’s always a pleasure to introduce a new author to you. To kick off this month’s theme, step into the past with historical fiction and author Gretchen Carlson. Take it away, Gretchen!

What’s your favorite book genre? Fantasy, mystery, western, thriller, romance, science fiction?  I enjoy these, but my favorite (drum roll, please) is Historical Fiction. 

While history books cover facts of what happened, historical novels dig into how events felt. I find it incredible to slip into the past and live history through an author’s characters.   

Author Caroline Wood writes “Historical fiction brings people out of history and sets them beside you at the table—whispering, laughing, and fearful.”

Over and over historical fiction novels become New York Times best-selling novels. Why? 

Readers are more than entertained—they are often inspired. Historical fiction shows the nitty gritty of true life and survival.  

Some authors place fictional characters in a real historical context. Kristin Hannah’s best seller The Nightingale is a story of two sisters in France and the desperate paths they take to survive and combat the Nazis who occupy their country. Using fictional characters, Hannah captures the struggles of women caught in World War II. 

An opposite approach to historical fiction is to research a real person and write their story in a fictionalized account. The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn is based on the true story of a Russian woman who was a deadly sniper during World War II. 

Both approaches require research in order to remain accurate to the historical events and details of the time period. Historical fiction authors must convey authentic living conditions, food, clothing, technology, entertainment, and language for the era of their novel. 

My first historical novel, More Than Grit, is based on my grandmother’s true story which takes place in rural Kansas during the Great Depression. As I outlined my novel, I researched and created a timeline of national and international events for 1939. The website History Skills is one of many online sites that provides links to historical sources of information. Wikipedia is helpful for general information, but I double-checked Wikipedia with other sources to be sure the information was credible. Another valuable source of information is through the Smithsonian, The National Museum of American History

My timeline went beyond major worldwide events and included tidbits about sports, movies, popular books, inventions, cars, fashion, and prices of household items. This gave me a rich layer of details for that era which I wove into the plot. 

For example, “The Wizard of Oz” was the first movie to debut in technicolor in 1939. Desperately poor, my protagonist hears about the jaw-dropping film, but she fears her dreams will never come true, even on the other side of the rainbow. 

To avoid using modern language that doesn’t fit a time period, historical authors keep their nose in The Oxford Dictionary which provides the origin of words. Was the word “pickup” for a truck used in the 1930’s, or did that evolve in the 1940’s? My local librarians at the historical reference desk helped me find the answer through newspaper advertisements. Yes, I could refer to the farmer’s truck as a pickup.

Museums, antique stores, and car shows also gave me hands-on information. I was surprised to see how small a Model A Ford farm truck was, so when I described a family driving to church, they sat cramped and on top of each other. 

Looking for a page turner? Historical fiction breathes life into the dry bones of forgotten history. Step into the past. You won’t be disappointed. 

If you’d like historical fiction book recommendations or writing tips, contact me: gretchencarlsonwriter@gmail.com

For previous posts on writing historical fiction, click here.

*****

When do secrets become lies? When is grit not enough? 

A story of broken lives and deep friendship, inspired by true events from1939, when the shadows of World War II lengthened. 

Scarred by burns from a kerosene lantern, twelve-year old Sissy knows electricity is more than her farm family’s dream. It’s vital. She also knows they can’t afford the required deposit to be connected to electric lines, so she wrangles a secret deal to help her parents. As she faces danger and sacrifices to support her family, Sissy’s best efforts fail. She’s blind to what she needs most, and when she tells her secrets, she fears it’s too late. 

Set in Kansas farmland, More Than Grit is an unforgettable story of determination to succeed against all odds that will appeal to middle-grade and teen readers, their parents, and anyone who roots for the underdog. Award winning author Gretchen Carlson fills her characters with grit and grace as she shares the story her grandmother kept secret.

*****

Gretchen’s background in journalism and education fed her heartbeat for writing and sharing stories of hope. Her debut novel, More Than Grit, won the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writer’s Genesis award for the young adult category and the 2017 First Impression’s award. Growing up, she spent vacations on her grandparents’ farm in Kansas where she collected memories and heard stories of hard times and strong friendships. Her grandmother waited for decades to share the family secret of how they got electricity, and it was this story that inspired More Than Grit. She is a member of Front Range Christian Fiction Writers, American Christian Fiction Writers, and The Storyteller Squad.She is available and loves interaction with public schools, book clubs, homeschool groups, and readers of all ages. Contact Gretchen: gretchencarlsonwriter@gmail.com and follow her at

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Mixing in History to Thicken the Plot

Author Anne Clare is back with a new novel, releasing Nov. 1, set during the WWII Italian campaign. So happy to have her guest blog, “Mixing in History to Thicken the Plot”. Take it away, Anne!

Thank you so much for inviting me to stop by, and for the opportunity to write on the theme of plot. It was good for me to take a step back and think about how I formulate mine! 

I write fiction set during World War II, and I find that my research tends to drive the formation of my stories. While a good plot is much more than a series of events, the true events from history often direct the paths my stories take. 

Perhaps the easiest way to describe this is to use my upcoming release’s plot as an example. 

I knew that I wanted to write a story set in WWII Italy. I also thought that I’d like to set it on or around the Allied beachhead on Anzio. For those of you unfamiliar with the Anzio campaign, in brief, the Allied advance up Italy had stalled, so Allied planners decided to send a force by sea up behind the German lines to land near the town of Anzio. The idea was that with the beach landings from behind and an assault from the main force in the south, the Allies would break through and march on to Rome. It didn’t work. The 70,000 or so troops and personnel who landed on Anzio were stuck on the beachhead from January until May, taking punishing German fire from the heights.

 I hadn’t really gotten beyond planning the setting when I came across an off-hand comment in one of my research sources. As the Germans and Allied lines were so close on the Anzio beachhead, it was not uncommon for soldiers on both sides to be taken prisoner, escape, and just walk back to their own lines. 

This caught my attention and imagination. What would this look like? Surely the escapes wouldn’t be quite as easy as these couple of sentences made them sound. 

Now I had a setting and the start of a plot—the story would deal with a POW escape. I’d most likely need to include a capture which might be a good place to put the story’s “hook.” Imprisonment and an escape with some obstacles would fit naturally during the “rising action.” I still had to decide how the climax of the story would look, and if the escape plans would be successful—but sharing more of that would include spoilers! 

Now, while my imagination took over, filling in the characters and details, I still needed to study the history to make sure that my fledgling plot would be plausible. (While my books are fictional, I try my utmost to make certain that the events could have happened.) A couple of other real events were major influences on my writing.

In mid-February, about a month into the Anzio campaign, the Germans launched a major offensive which cut deeply into the Allied beachhead and threatened to push them back into the sea. The offensive lasted for almost a week. It occurred to me that this would be a prime time for taking prisoners. And what if, with the offensive keeping the German man-power busy, some of the prisoners couldn’t be transported further back to POW camps immediately but were temporarily held closer to their lines. That could work…

Another piece of the plot fell into place. 

Characters also influence the plot, and history provides a wide and varied selection of fascinating characters. Some of the names associated with the Anzio area that might be familiar are Audie Murphy, (the most highly decorated American soldier of WWII) cartoonist Bill Mauldin, and the Tuskegee Airmen.  

Not all of the people serving on Anzio were involved in combat. Generally, the chain of evacuation for wounded soldiers was quite long with the field hospitals far behind the front line. On Anzio, the beachhead was so narrow that the front line was only about ten miles from the sea. Huddled together by the coast at Nettuno, just south of Anzio, the hospital area was well within German firing range. Unfortunately, although the hospital tents were marked with large red crosses in white circles and off-limits to attack according to the Geneva Convention, the area was hit often and badly to earn the nickname “Hell’s Half Acre.” Six nurses and many other medical staff and recovering patients lost their lives there. While their names might not be as familiar as some, their service and sacrifice must be remembered. 

While I do not include real people in my fiction except in off-hand references, learning about the real people who served and sacrificed in these areas helped direct my story and enrich my characters. 

For a final example of history influencing plot, one—somewhat lighter—story about the nurses’ experiences caught my eye as I was reading Rosemary Neidel-Greenlee and Evelyn M. Monohan’s fantastic book, And If I Perish: Frontline U.S. Army Nurses in World War II. (On a side note, I’d highly recommend this book to people interested in this era. The stories of the courage of the women who served in often appalling conditions are inspiring.)

The anecdote went something like this: When some of the first nurses landed on the beachhead, they were to be transported to their hospital area to set up. However, their driver must have gotten turned around and the further he went, the more anxious he became, especially as German shells began falling. Finally, he stopped the vehicle, told the nurses to get out, and drove away, promising that someone would come for them. 

The nurses took shelter in a small chicken house, and eventually saw men crawling toward them from two directions. Recognizing them as British and American soldiers, they approached. The soldiers were astonished to see the women and informed them, “We’re the front line, and you’re in front of us. That puts you in no-man’s land.” (Page 252.) 

Eventually, the nurses did make it to their hospital. I’m not sure what happened to the driver. And the incident solidified some ideas I’d already had for where my work of fiction might go. 

Writers, what real things influence your stories and their plots? Incidents from history? Things that happened in your own lives? 

Readers, do you enjoy reading stories with plots based in real events? Are there eras or places that you find particularly compelling? 

Again, many thanks to JPC Allen for hosting me today, and to you for stopping by! 

Thank you for explaining how you use mixing in history to thicken the plot. Best wishes with your latest release!

If you’d like to read Anne’s previous guest blogs, click here.

*****

Wonderful cover!

When she had signed up, she’d thought she was ready. Ready for a combat zone. Ready to prove that she could be brave. The sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, stronger and longer lasting than any bout of seasickness, foreboded that maybe she had been wrong.

1944

Lieutenant Jean Hoff of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps and infantryman Corporal George Novak have never met, but they have three things in common.

They are both driven by a past they’d rather leave behind.

They have both been sent to the embattled beachhead of Anzio, Italy.

And when they both wind up on the wrong side of the German lines, they must choose whether to resign themselves to captivity or risk a dangerous escape.

Where Shall I Flee? follows their journey through the dangers of World War II Italy, where faith vies with fear and forgiveness may be necessary for survival.


Anne Clare is a native of Minnesota’s cornfields and dairy country. She graduated with a BS in Education in 2005 and set out to teach in the gorgeous green Pacific Northwest, where she and her husband still live. She also serves as a church musician, singing in and occasionally directing choirs, playing piano, organ, and coronet (the last only occasionally, when she forgets how bad she is at it.) After the birth of her second child, she became a stay-at-home mom, and after the birth of the third she became reconciled to the fact that her house would never be clean again, which allowed her to find time to pursue her passion for history and writing while the little people napped. Although she’s back to teaching part-time, she continues to write historical fiction and to blog about WWII history, writing, and other odds and ends at thenaptimeauthor.wordpress.com. You can also follow her on her FB page.

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