What are the challenges of combining history and fiction in this way?
SZ: One thing I love about using history and mythology is it helps give fiction a structure. When I write about, say, a peasant revolt in 1381, I know certain things in advance. I know that the revolt began in midsummer, that the peasants marched on London, and that most of the leaders ended up with their severed heads displayed on London Bridge. Having these plot-points set in advance frees me to deal with the more interesting question of who marched on London, personal relationships, long standing betrayals, and the way someone might feel when he knows he is about to die. You can compare writing historical fiction to writing formal poetry. The structure is in place, and that grants you enormous freedom to figure out how you get from point A to point B. Still, obviously, there are challenges. I love research, but it can get overwhelming. In the case of LOUISA in particular, I felt real anxiety about getting the details right because so many people were still alive who would read this
