Historical Novel Society 2024 – Don’t make me go home!

This is my second time at the wonderful UK edition of the Historical Novel Society.

Held every two years in the UK, this year the conference was held in the spectacular Dartington Hall in Devon, England. I also attended the last UK Conference, Historical Novel Society 2022 in Durham, England.

The UK conferences do an amazing job of steeping its attendees in history, This year’s conferece was held in the stunning, fourteenth century Dartington Hall, in thne gorgeous region of Devon.

Does this not seem like the perfect location for a conference dedicated to historical fiction novelists?

Spoler alert: It was.

Not surprisingly, we had a great time at breaks meeting one another, chatting writing and … er … drinking. Yes, please ignore that very obvious “Bar” sign right behind our heads…

It was a fabulous conference, with a wealth of speakers and participants from England, Ireland, across Europe, US, Canada and Australia. Meeting the participants – lots of likeminded, dedicated authors who absolutely love to talk books, research, history and writing all day long is, in my humble opinion,  the biggest draw of the conference.

But all the amazing speakers weren’t so bad either! : )

There were plenty of high-profile authors who gave keynote speeches and added their perspectives to engaging panels: Bernard Cornwell, Kate Quinn, Diana Gabaldon, Gill Paul, Heather Webb and more…

Home, sweet home…

I went to tons of interesting sessions – on writing Ancient Rome, co-authoring, audiobooks and writing screen queens. Lots of fascinating food for thought.

We also had a choice of outings. I selected the Exeter Cathedral, and enjoyed seeing the cathedral and the cute town.

All in all, an amazing time … once again. The location for HNS 2026 hasn’t yet been announced. But I will most definitely be there.

Fello authors at the Historical Novel Society Conference 2024. Historical novelists are the most fun!