Novels about Family History

Those of you who know me know that as well as being a professional genealogist, I am also a novelist specialising mostly in historical fiction, and some of my novels contain a family history theme.

I have always been intrigued by the way genealogy allows us to connect with history in a very personal way – a way that is often sadly lacking in the kind of history taught at school (well, at least it was when I was at school!) So, when I write stories with a family history theme, it is that connection that I like to focus on, very often taking my readers on a historical trip through time via the protagonist’s own ancestors.

In my new novel, Legacies, my main character begins an investigation into her family tree, after her uncle leaves her an old key, which has been handed down through the family over several centuries, though no-one knows what it opens. Published on 9th September 2019 on Amazon, the eBook version will be on sale at the special discount price of 99p until 27th September – so get in quick if you want a copy!

In my novel, Out of Time, the main character, Catherine, only becomes interested in her family tree when she meets the mysterious character, Will Days, who claims to have known each one of her direct female ancestors back to the early nineteenth century! How is this possible? Well, you’d have to read the book to find out 😊.

What I really enjoy doing is inserting chapters that are set in a different historical time period. So in this novel the first historical chapter is about Catherine’s mother in the 1960s, and then later on her grandmother during the Second World War, and so on.  I have done a similar thing in Legacies.  It’s fun writing little set pieces like this, and I enjoy creating a historical ‘cameo’ character set against the backdrop of whatever is going on at that time.

My first novel, White Lilac (currently only available for subscribers of my newsletter), is a novella based on a portrait of a Victorian woman, which so intrigues the modern day protagonist, that she begins an investigation into the woman in the painting, which results in a chance meeting with the subject’s great-great grandson.

Whilst my genealogy fiction books are not exactly historical fiction, in that they are not set solely in one time period, and much of the story is set in the modern world, they would suit anyone interested in both history and genealogy.

If you’d like to know more about my writing career, and my books, do visit my author website, rosamundebott.com where you will also find a link to subscribe to my newsletter and get a free copy of White Lilac.