Smart Historical Fiction

The Towers of Tuscany
Winner of the Chaucer Award: Best Historical Fiction pre-1750 & Editor’s Choice, Historical Novels Review
A wonderful book worth reading. Carol M Cram has created a masterpiece. – D.M. Lawrence
“. . .a beautifully crafted masterpiece of historical fiction that takes the reader full circle as they turn through the pages. . . . 6 out of 5 stars.” – David Rieckmann

A Woman of Note
Winner of Best in Category for the Goethe Award: Best Historical Fiction post-1750
Cram’s writing is so vivid, you can hear the music in your head as you read. . . . A Woman of Note is one of the best historical novels I’ve read all year.” – Vicki Kondelik, Historical Novels Review, designated A Woman of Note as Editor’s Choice

The Muse of Fire
Bronze for Best Historical Fiction, Independent Publishers Book Awards
Oh my stars, this book! Can I give it a standing ovation? Or throw roses at it? Or…what did people do back then when they enjoyed a theater performance…propose! Can I propose to this book, please? – Stacie Tyson

What’s New?

PastelandPenCover_SocialMedia

Just out! Pastel & Pen, a “non-collaborative collaboration” with artist (and life partner!) Gregg Simpson has just published. The print and ebook editions are available now from Amazon or at the Gallery @ Cove Commons on Bowen Island as part of an exhibition called “Pastel Journals” by Gregg Simpson.

Pastel & Pen is a funny and engaging collection of stories and vignettes that Europe-bound travelers find highly relatable. This “non-collaborative collaboration” pairs my writing with Gregg’s art, but in a symbiotic, unplanned way. He doesn’t illustrate my writing and I don’t write about his art but put together our two art forms provide readers with “two ways of seeing.”

Gregg Simpson and I, along with our daughter Julia Simpson who has a piece in the book, had a great time greeting visitors at the recent exhibition and book launch in the beautiful Gallery @ Cove Commons on Bowen Island.

Where Am I?

Check out the Events page on New Arcadia Publishing’s website. I also give workshops about writing tips and techniques. My next workshop is Living the Past: Historical Fiction for Storytellers on Wednesday, February 13, 2019  at the North Vancouver City Library. Contact  me for details.

Book Me for a Workshop!

Do you have a writing group? I love giving writing workshops. My most recent workshop is Living the Past: Historical Fiction for Storytellers. In this hands-on workshop, I provide guidelines for making the past a vehicle for storytelling and share practical tips for writing historical fiction. Participants will also tackle some engaging writing exercises designed to jump start ideas, and have the opportunity to questions about writing and publishing. I’ve shared this workshop with writing groups all over British Columbia, including, most recently, Kelowna, Vernon, and Port Coquitlam. Here are testimonials from members of the Tri-City Writers’ Group about the workshop:

I enjoyed the recent talk by Carol Cram at the August 2018 meeting of the Tri–City Wordsmiths writers’ group. … Each of her accompanying readings was just sufficient to highlight the points that she was making. Definitely a worthwhile session.  Trevor Atkins, Tri-City Wordsmiths’ member, Port Coquitlam, B.C.
Carol Cram gave a wonderful program to our group on everything a writer wants to know about creating historical fiction. She covered all the elements in a professional PowerPoint presentation, including six guidelines for writing historical fiction … Her presentation was applicable to writers in any genre, and I highly recommend attending one of her sessions, should it come to your local library or writers’ group.  Pandora Ballard, Past President, Programs, and Publicity, Tri-City Wordsmiths, Port Coquitlam, B.C.

Writing, Travel and Cooking Blogger

In addition to writing novels, I love to cook and travel and to blog about them and about the writing process. One of my most memorable trips was when my daughter Julia and I visited New Zealand. Click on any of these  titles to check out my New Zealand blogs:

And if you love cooking, you’ll enjoy my blogs on the Bowen Island Cookbook Club, a group of seven dedicated cooks who get together every month or so to share recipes from a different cookbook.