History Through Fiction - The Podcast

Colin Mustful

History Through Fiction founder and editor Colin Mustful talks with historical novelists about their craft of weaving history and fiction to create engaging, historically detailed stories.

  1. 16h ago

    Donna Jones Alward on Ship of Dreams, Titanic, and the Women at the Heart of History

    In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, host Colin Mustful speaks with Donna Jones Alward, author of Ship of Dreams, about reimagining the Titanic through female friendship, class, courage, and the emotional lives of the women aboard. Listeners will discover how a story everyone thinks they know can feel newly intimate when the focus shifts from spectacle to character. Together, Colin and Donna explore the real-world details that shaped Ship of Dreams: the opulence of first-class life, the strange and haunting atmosphere aboard the brand-new ship, the Halifax connection to the disaster, and the many small conditions that made the tragedy possible. They also talk about why historical fiction works best when history provides the structure but human relationships provide the heart. Donna Jones Alward is the author of Ship of Dreams and When the World Fell Silent. A longtime novelist now writing historical fiction after a career in romance, she brings deep attention to character, research, and the emotional complexity of women’s lives. In this conversation, she reflects on writing female friendship, balancing historical fact with story, and building novels that are both deeply researched and moving. History Through Fiction is more than a podcast. It is a place for readers, writers, and lovers of the past to discover new historical novels, learn from working authors, and explore the craft of storytelling. To find more episodes, books, events, and community offerings, visit https://www.historythroughfiction.com.

    Donna Jones Alward on Ship of Dreams, Titanic, and the Women at the Heart of History

  2. Jul 20

    Marie Gage on War Brides, Sisterhood, and the Aftermath of WWII in A Touch of Promise

    In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, Colin Mustful is joined by Marie Gage, author of A Touch of Promise, to explore the overlooked history of the women who crossed the Atlantic for love after World War II and found themselves rebuilding their lives in unfamiliar places. Through the story of Pearl Griffith, listeners are invited into a moving conversation about belonging, resilience, and the quiet ways war continues long after the fighting ends. Set in 1947, A Touch of Promise follows a young English war bride adjusting to life in Canada while facing emotional isolation, culture shock, and a difficult mother-in-law. In their discussion, Colin and Marie explore the real history behind the novel, the support systems women created for one another, and the lasting impact of wartime trauma on families trying to move forward. The conversation also reflects on why stories of ordinary people matter so deeply, especially when they illuminate the human side of history that often goes untold. Marie Gage is a Canadian author whose historical fiction draws from genealogical research, lived experience, and the stories passed down through family memory. In this episode, she shares how her mother-in-law’s experience as a war bride helped inspire the novel and how her own professional encounters with long-term psychiatric trauma shaped her understanding of the postwar world she brings to the page. History Through Fiction is a home for readers, writers, and history lovers who believe the past comes alive through story. Explore more episodes, discover historical novels, and learn more about the broader community, workshops, and events at https://www.historythroughfiction.com.

    Marie Gage on War Brides, Sisterhood, and the Aftermath of WWII in A Touch of Promise

  3. Jul 13

    Janyre Tromp on The Scorpion Thief, Burning the Raven Tree, and Myth-Infused Historical Suspense

    In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, host Colin Mustful speaks with bestselling author and editor Janyre Tromp about the historical mysteries, political tensions, and mythic undercurrents behind The Scorpion Thief and Burning the Raven Tree. From King Tut’s U.S. tour and Cold War maneuvering to haunted Michigan woods and questions of justice, this conversation invites listeners into the places where history grows stranger, darker, and more revealing through story. Together, they explore how a surprising piece of research about the King Tut exhibition sparked The Scorpion Thief, why family conflict became the emotional engine of that novel, and how myths such as Horus and Set—or the tree-of-life traditions that echo across cultures—can deepen historical suspense. Tromp also shares how myth seems to press its way into her fiction, how she balances research with emotional truth, and why she sees story as a safe place to wrestle with difficult questions about grief, memory, justice, and hope. Janyre Tromp is a bestselling and award-winning author of deeply researched historical suspense novels infused with myth, legend, and emotional depth. She is also a longtime developmental editor whose love of language, history, and story shapes both her fiction and her work helping other writers draw out emotional truth on the page. History Through Fiction is a home for readers, writers, and history lovers who believe the past becomes most vivid when it is told through compelling human stories. Explore more episodes, discover historical novels, and learn about workshops, events, and the wider History Through Fiction community at https://www.historythroughfiction.com.

    Janyre Tromp on The Scorpion Thief, Burning the Raven Tree, and Myth-Infused Historical Suspense

  4. Jul 6

    Widowhood, Freedom, and Partition in British India with Jatinder Koharki | Against the Odds of Tradition

    In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, Colin Mustful speaks with Jatinder Koharki, author of Against the Odds of Tradition, about a novel that begins with a woman fleeing death and unfolds against the upheaval of late colonial India. Listeners will discover how widowhood, forbidden love, national independence, and personal reinvention collide in a story that asks what freedom really means when a society denies women a future of their own. Their conversation moves from the brutal legacy of sati and the restrictions placed on widows in 1930s India to the emotional sweep of Mina’s journey through remarriage, identity, and the chaos of Partition. Jatinder reflects on the historical realities behind the novel, the voices often left out of Western conversations about World War II and empire, and the ways private lives are transformed by public history. Jatinder Koharki was born in Punjab, India, moved to Queens, New York, at age ten, and later built a long corporate career before turning toward writing and publishing. Drawing on family stories, historical research, and her own cross-cultural perspective, she brings a deeply personal lens to a novel about women’s autonomy, resilience, and survival. History Through Fiction is more than a podcast—it is a place for readers, writers, and history lovers to explore how story brings the past to life. To discover more episodes, historical novels, workshops, and events, visit https://www.historythroughfiction.com.

    Widowhood, Freedom, and Partition in British India with Jatinder Koharki | Against the Odds of Tradition

  5. Jun 29

    Jackie Lapin on The Historic Traveler, Historical Fiction, and the Places That Bring History to Life

    In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, Colin Mustful sits down with Jackie Lapin, founder of The Historic Traveler, for a conversation about what happens when a love of historical fiction spills off the page and into the world. From historic cities and hidden landmarks to the novels that make them unforgettable, listeners will discover how books can become a doorway into travel—and how travel can deepen the way we experience the past. Together, Colin and Jackie explore the idea at the heart of The Historic Traveler: pairing real places with the historical novels, history books, photographs, and cultural resources that bring those locations to life. Their conversation moves from Jackie’s lifelong passion for historical fiction to the many ways readers, writers, and travelers can use story to connect more meaningfully with the places they visit. Along the way, they reflect on research travel, reader curiosity, and the special power of fiction to make history feel personal, immersive, and alive. Jackie Lapin is the founder of The Historic Traveler, a platform that connects history, travel, photography, and books for readers eager to explore the past in a more vivid way. A longtime writer and serial entrepreneur, she previously built a major sports public relations agency and later launched Conscious Media Relations before creating a project that brings together her enduring passions for history, storytelling, and place. At History Through Fiction, we believe the past comes alive through story, setting, and the imaginative work of seeing history from new angles. Explore more podcast episodes, discover historical novels, and connect with a wider community of readers and writers at https://www.historythroughfiction.com.

    Jackie Lapin on The Historic Traveler, Historical Fiction, and the Places That Bring History to Life

  6. Jun 22

    Black Sunday and the Women of the Dust Bowl with Jann Alexander, Author of Unspoken

    In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, Colin Mustful speaks with author Jann Alexander about Unspoken, her Dust Bowl novel set in the Texas Panhandle. Through the terror of Black Sunday, the threat of dust pneumonia, and the wrenching separation of a mother and daughter, this conversation invites listeners into a history that feels both intimate and unsettlingly relevant. Together, they explore how Alexander used years of research, oral histories, and visual archives to bring the Dust Bowl to life through fiction. The episode moves from the lived realities of families who stayed through drought and storm, to the emotional core of Ruby Lee and Willa Mae's story, to the environmental lessons of overfarming, soil loss, and the long shadow of the Ogallala Aquifer. It is a conversation about survival, memory, and the meaning of home when the land itself turns against you. Jann Alexander is an author, photographer, and artist whose work often centers on place, loss, and endurance. In Unspoken, the first novel in her Dust series, she draws on extensive research into Texas history to illuminate a lesser-known side of the 1930s Dust Bowl and the women and children whose lives were changed by it. History Through Fiction is a place for readers, writers, and history lovers who believe stories can deepen the way we understand the past. To explore more episodes, discover historical novels, and connect with the broader community, visit https://www.historythroughfiction.com.

    Black Sunday and the Women of the Dust Bowl with Jann Alexander, Author of Unspoken

  7. Jun 15

    Local Honey and the Hidden Fault Lines of 1950s New England with Shawn P. McCarthy

    In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, Colin Mustful speaks with Shawn P. McCarthy, author of Local Honey, a novel set in 1951 Massachusetts where postwar optimism collides with class division, lingering trauma, and the uneasy cost of change. It’s a thoughtful conversation about the America that emerged after World War II—and the people who never fully shared in its promised prosperity. Together, Colin and Shawn explore why the “periods in between” can be some of the richest terrain for historical fiction. They discuss the world of Local Honey: displaced women trying to survive on the margins, a wounded veteran attempting to hold together a quiet life, and a town being remade by highways, suburban growth, and old resentments that refuse to stay buried. The conversation also traces how Hoovervilles, postwar emotional fallout, and the moral ambiguity of survival shaped the novel’s atmosphere and its central characters, Becky Bivens and Jim Yarrow. Shawn P. McCarthy is a Massachusetts-based author of fiction and nonfiction whose work often explores the landscapes, histories, and hidden tensions of New England. He is also the author of The Puzzle Box Chronicles and is involved with Dark Spark Press, where he champions historical storytelling and regional voices. History Through Fiction is a place for readers, writers, and history lovers who believe the past comes alive most powerfully through story. Explore more episodes, discover historical novels, and learn about workshops, events, and the wider community at https://www.historythroughfiction.com.

    Local Honey and the Hidden Fault Lines of 1950s New England with Shawn P. McCarthy

  8. Jun 8

    Ray Welling on Byline for the Dead, the Battle of Toledo, and the Fight for Journalistic Truth

    In this episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast, Colin Mustful speaks with Ray Welling, author of Byline for the Dead, a historical mystery-thriller rooted in the 1934 Auto-Lite strike and the violent labor uprising known as the Battle of Toledo. Together, they explore how forgotten local history, investigative journalism, and fiction can recover truths that power would rather leave buried. The conversation moves from the economic desperation of Depression-era Toledo to the novel’s dual-timeline structure, which follows two journalists fifty years apart as they untangle corruption, violence, and institutional amnesia. Ray shares how oral histories, archival research, and his own memories of Toledo helped shape the story, while he and Colin reflect on labor history, Rust Belt decline, and why stories about truth-telling still feel urgently contemporary. Ray Welling is an Australian novelist and nonfiction author with a background in journalism, editing, publishing, and digital strategy. Originally from Toledo and now based in Australia, he brings both a reporter’s eye and a personal connection to the city at the center of the novel—making this episode especially rich in place, memory, and moral stakes. At History Through Fiction, we believe the past comes alive through story—through the novels that reimagine it, the writers who research it, and the readers who carry it forward. Explore more episodes, discover historical novels, and learn about workshops, events, and the wider community at https://www.historythroughfiction.com.

    Ray Welling on Byline for the Dead, the Battle of Toledo, and the Fight for Journalistic Truth
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3 Ratings

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History Through Fiction founder and editor Colin Mustful talks with historical novelists about their craft of weaving history and fiction to create engaging, historically detailed stories.

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