Writing Historical Fiction: Iona Whishaw – Wednesday, February 9, 7:00 p.m. EST

Iona Whishaw writes a popular mystery series set in BC, taking place just after World War II. She says “This presentation will be about the few basic principles of historical writing that I use to write the Lane Winslow mysteries. I will discuss how much research and what to do with it, how to use language to support the historical atmosphere, and understanding what your characters can know and how they move through their physical environment. I will also share a couple of useful resources. I will include a discussion about the thorny issue of writing about things that are completely politically incorrect today, but might have been common in the time period being written about.”

Whishaw grew up in Canada, Arizona and Mexico. With an MFA from UBC, she’s published short fiction, poetry, and children’s literature. She is the winner of the 2021 Bony Bythe Light Mystery Award and a nominee for the Lefty Award. Her latest mystery, A Lethal Lesson, was released in April 2021. Her next, Framed in Fire, 10th in the Lane Winslow series, will be out in the spring of 2022. A passion for history and her family’s WW2 intelligence work inform the spirit of her period novels.

Whishaw lives in Vancouver. Check out her website for more about her and her books.