In-Person Historical Fiction Writing Workshop: "Researching Your Novel"

In-person Historical Fiction Workshop at Bookish Bookstore in Modesto, California. 

October 12th, 2025 1 pm-4pm

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.

15 Student Maximum

Schedule for Researching Your Novel:

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 section 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. 

Your Instructors for this session include Edie Cay, Anne M. Beggs, and Vanitha Sankaran.

Students receive a paperback copy of Crafting Stories from the Past: A How-To Guide to Writing Historical Fiction, as well as a writer's gift pack. 

You will receive an email after your purchase that will be your ticket to the event. Please show up ten minutes early. 

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. 

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. 

Cancellations Policy: Cancellations up to two weeks before the event are acceptable, with a full refund, minus a $10 handling fee. Tickets are transferable to another attendee.