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Rachel is a writer from Arkansas, most at home surrounded by forests and animals much like a Disney Princess. She spends most of her time writing stories and playing around in imaginary worlds. You can follow her writing at rachelbrittain.com. Socials: @rachelsbrittain
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Sometimes historical fiction news trickles in slowly, and sometimes it comes on big and fast. News of a new adult historical fiction novel from award-winning author Ruta Sepetys certainly counts as the latter—especially when it sounds so juicy. I love any book that claims that it uncovers “long-buried true stories.” That, along with an article from Emma Donoghue on finding the line between fact and fiction in her newest novel and book recommendations from adult debut author Wen Yi-Lee, makes for an absolute feast of historical fiction news to devour.
Ruta Sepetys Takes on Adult Historical Fiction
Ruta Sepetys is known for her brilliant and, oftentimes, heart-wrenching historical fiction. I fell in love with her novels Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray. She’s written stories about World War II, communist Romania, and the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War. But one thing she hasn’t tackled before is adult fiction. That’s about to change. Her upcoming book, A Fortune of Sand, set to come out in June of 2026, is a Prohibition-era book based on forgotten historical events. Learn more in the exclusive cover reveal shared in People Magazine.
Where Do You Draw the Line Between Fact and Fiction in Historical Fiction?
Emma Donoghue found inspiration for her newest novel, The Paris Express, from photographs of a steam train and dozens of articles about the Montparnasse Derailment. But beyond that, where does she—or any author—draw the line between fact and creative liberty when writing historical fiction? With each new project, Donoghue, who describes herself as a writer of “fact-based historical fiction,” takes a new tack. Learn more about her process for balancing fact and fiction from this piece on Lit Hub.
Past Tense
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Sapphic Asian Historical Fiction Recommendations From Author Wen Yi-Lee
I love Sapphic and LGBTQ historical fiction, so you can be certain of two things: first, I’m eagerly anticipating Wen Yi-Lee’s upcoming adult debut, When They Burned the Butterfly, set in postcolonial Singapore; and two, I clicked on this article about Sapphic Asian historical fiction books so quickly my laptop probably got whiplash. I’ve read a few of the novels on Yi-Lee’s list, including The Chosen and the Beautiful and Last Night at the Telegraph Club, but you better believe I’ll be adding all the others to my TBR immediately.