Historical Fiction Workshop Series 

Dates

Sunday afternoons 1-4 p.m.

Session 1: October 12, 2025

Session 2: October 26, 2025

Session 3: November 9, 2025

 

held at Bookish Modesto

811 W. Roseburg Ave Modesto, CA USA 95350

 

Price per session

$55 per person, maximum of 15 students 

-includes a paperback copy of Crafting Stories from the Past: A How-To Guide to Writing Historical Fiction, a writer's gift bag, and three hours of personal instruction from award-winning lecturers. 

$45 for returning students in sessions two and three

-does not include the paperback or gift bag.

Session One: Researching Your Novel 

Sunday, October 12th, 1-4 pm at

Bookish Modesto
811 W. Roseburg Ave
Modesto, CA
USA  95350

Have you ever wanted to write a novel but it’s set in the past and you don’t know what to research? Or you don’t know if you have researched enough? The Paper Lantern Writers, a historical fiction author group with over a century of collective experience, can help you decide when to start writing. Join us for our first in a series of workshops, “Researching Your Novel,” at Bookish Bookstore in Modesto on October 12th. We will draw heavily from our recent release, Crafting Stories from the Past: A How-To Guide for Writing Historical Fiction, which will be included in the ticket price. Bring your laptop and some of your research materials to engage in this generative workshop guided by working and publishing writers. By the end of this three-hour class, you’ll have tools to help your research, organize your findings for quick reference, and be ready to start (or continue!) writing the perennial favorite genre, Historical Fiction. 

1. Introduction
2. What Historical Fiction is, market position, information about the genre/subgenres
3. How to research places you can't visit, using real people, writing about family, How To use Newspapers,
4. 10 min break - Coffee shop open
5. How to research/How to organize research-Interactive workshop where students bring research materials and laptop to set up personalized research databases 
6. When to start writing section 
7. Q&A/Info on next sessions

15 student maximum

BUY Ticket 

 

Session Two: Digging Into Your Historical World 

October 26th, 2025 1-4 pm

Bookish Modesto
811 W. Roseburg Ave
Modesto, CA
USA  95350

There is a wealth of information available to any historical fiction author. But how do you make that world come to life? The Paper Lantern Writers, a historical fiction author group with over a century of collective experience, can help you parse the details. Join us for the next in a series of workshops, “Digging Into Your Historical World,” at Bookish Bookstore in Modesto on October 26th. We will draw heavily from our recent release, Crafting Stories from the Past: A How-To Guide for Writing Historical Fiction, which will be included in the ticket price. Returning students will receive a discounted ticket.  Bring your laptop to engage in this generative workshop guided by working and publishing writers in the field. By the end of this three-hour class, you’ll have tools to structure your novel, explore your characters, and bring your historical world to life. 

1. Introduction of participants 
2. How to write a non-western story structure - interactive workshop portion 
3. 10 min break Coffee Shop open
4. Diversity in characters 
5. Family stories + Details to bring stories to life - interactive workshop portion
6. Q&A

15 student maximum

BUY Ticket 

 

Session Three, Expanding On History 

November 9th, 2025, 1-4 pm

Bookish Modesto
811 W. Roseburg Ave
Modesto, CA
USA  95350

Does your novel feel too generic? Do you need historic specifics to bring your story to life? The Paper Lantern Writers, a historical fiction author group with over a century of collective experience, can help you layer in relevant historical details. Join us for the last in a series of workshops, “Expanding On History,” at Bookish Bookstore in Modesto on November 9th. We will draw heavily from our recent release, Crafting Stories from the Past: A How-To Guide for Writing Historical Fiction, which will be included in the ticket price. Returning students will receive a discounted ticket. Bring your laptop to engage in this generative workshop guided by working and publishing writers in the field. By the end of this three-hour class, you’ll have tools to build out your novel, explore era-specific details, and draw readers into a whole new world. 

1. Introduction 
2. Dual Timeline/How to Weave multiple events into one story 
3. Horses 
4. 10 min break Coffee shop open
5. How to make fiction from fact 
6. How to use slang, time period words to bring the feel of an older time--Interactive workshop portion 
7. Q&A 

15 student maximum

BUY Ticket 

Lecturer Bios:

Edie Cay

Edie Cay has Bachelor of Arts in both English (with a creative writing emphasis) and Music (with a piano performance emphasis) as well as an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Alaska Anchorage. She has reviewed for the Anchorage Daily News and the Historical Novel Society. The author of award-winning historical romances about women's boxing during the Regency era and women’s alpine climbing during the Victorian era, she also has several articles and literary short stories published in literary magazines. As a speaker, she has contributed to a number of conferences internationally. She is a member of HNS, The Regency Fiction Writers, and a founding member of Paper Lantern Writers. She is also a graduate of Fred C. Beyer High School in Modesto. 

Vanitha Sankaran

Vanitha Sankaran has an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University and writes fiction based on history, legend, and mythology. Her literary historical novel, Watermark: A Novel of the Middle Ages, traces the introduction of paper in southern France at a time when heresy was aflame. She is currently working on a speculative novel set in 1950s India. By day, she works in medical strategy and by night, she capers through collections of folklore. She served on the board of the Historical Society of North America for ten years, and is now a general member as well as a member of the Paper Lantern Writers. 

Linda Ulleseit

Linda Ulleseit, an award-winning writer of heritage fiction, has an MFA in Creative Writing from Lindenwood University. Her books, including the most recent Innocents at Home, are the stories of women in her family who were extraordinary but unsung. She has also written a young adult historical fantasy trilogy and several stories for anthologies. Linda is a founding member of Paper Lantern Writers and member of Historical Novel Society. She is a retired elementary school teacher who now enjoys writing full time as well as cooking, leatherworking, reading, gardening, spending time with her family, and walking her dog.

Anne M. Beggs

Anne M. Beggs is an award-winning author of historical fiction and has published articles on mounted archery and horsemanship. She believes riding and writing are like life: We don’t always ride where we choose or write what we want, rather we ride where we must and write what needs to be said. Her debut novel, Archer’s Grace, Book One in her Dahlquin series starts a family saga when a young noblewoman is catapulted from her ancestral home and set on a quest to save her family in Medieval Ireland. By Arrow and Sword, Book Two, continues the journey, and The Highest Love, Book Three, is underway. She has contributed short stories in Paper Lantern Writer’s anthologies, and is a contributor to Crafting Stories from the Past: A How-To Guide for Writing Historical Fiction.

Anne likes to say she researched the Middle Ages into middle age and beyond. Still married to her high school sweetheart, they live on and manage a horse boarding ranch, Equisance, in Watsonville, California. Anne is a member of the Historical Novel Society, and for more about her writing, horses, mounted archery and more, she invites you to find her on social media. 

Paper Lantern Writers Website