True Fiction Project

This episode of the True Fiction Project dives into the remarkable true story behind the historical fiction novel, Charlotte Salomon Paints Her Life, by Pamela Reitman about Charlotte Salomon, a young Jewish artist who painted over a thousand works while fleeing the Nazis in France. We talk about the ethics of biographical fiction, how Pamela handled the unanswered questions of Charlotte’s life, and why this story of art born from unimaginable loss still resonates today. This conversation reveals the research process behind historical novels and what it means to give voice to those who can no longer speak for themselves. Tune in to hear Pamela and excerpt of the novel when Charlotte is being reminded that she is a genius artist.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: 
How biographical fiction differs from traditional biography when writers face gaps in the historical record
Why Charlotte Salomon's artwork Life? Or Theater! is considered a masterpiece of Holocaust literature and modern art
How author Pamela Reitman decided which relationships, like the one with Wolf Abrams, to fictionalize and which to leave ambiguous
The role that art and trauma played in helping Salomon process the loss of her mother and family during Nazi occupation

Subscribe to Reenita’s Storytelling Den on Substack for free at https://substack.com/@reenitahora and to her YouTube channel to watch the video version of this episode! https://www.youtube.com/@reenymal
Check out her website to stay up-to-date on events, book releases and more! https://reenita.com/

TIMESTAMPS:  
01:10 Pamela Reitman shares her historical fiction novel about Charlotte Salomon's and explains the difference between biographical fiction and traditional biography writing
04:34 Discussion of the Wolf Abrams relationship and the choice to leave their romance ambiguous
07:49 Pamela describes the genesis of the book, since there was already a biography
10:39 Pamela shares how she discovered Charlotte Salomon's work at the Jewish Museum in San Francisco
13:08 Discussion of the time period during which Charlotte’s  work was created, and where the listener can learn more about this amazing woman
15:56 Pamela reads a moving excerpt from her novel about Charlotte's belief in her own artistic genius

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 
Writers of biographical fiction carry a unique responsibility, especially as Holocaust survivors who could verify the facts become fewer with each passing year
Charlotte Salomon's more than 1,300 paintings, created in a single year while she lived without identity papers, eventually became an opera that debuted in Salzburg in 2017
Pamela Reitman believes art served as a way to transform suffering rather than heal it completely, shaping the emotional core of her historical novel

ABOUT THE GUEST: 
Pamela Reitman, a Jewish Book Council Network author, is an award-winning writer with numerous publications in literary journals, news outlets, and magazines. She has a B. A with honors in English from Columbia and an MPH from UC Berkeley. She is retired from a career in public health and community service focused on reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness. Pamela is also Director Emerita of Makor Or: A Jewish Meditation Center in San Francisco. She now lives in Healdsburg, California, with her husband. 
Charlotte Salomon Paints Her Life is Pamela’s debut novel. Over two months on Amazon’s Hot New Releases for Biographical Literary Fiction, Kirkus Reviews calls this novel “a vividly detailed rendering of a real life caught in a maelstrom of 20th-century horror.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Pamela Reitman (@PamelaReitman1) - Facebook
Pamela Reitman - Website
Amazon.com: Charlotte Salomon Paints Her Life: A Novel

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What happens when historical fiction dares to challenge the rules? On the True Fiction Project, host Reenita Hora welcomes New York Times bestselling author Madeline Martin, whose latest novel, The Secret Book Society, uncovers the radical act of women reading books in the Victorian era. A three-times-widowed Countess builds a secret book club, defying a culture that viewed literate women as dangerous. Madeline shares her extraordinary path through self-publishing, traditional publishing, and deep historical research, writing over 40 books along the way. Rich with Victorian women's history, hatpin fighting, seances, and the language of flowers, this episode is a love letter to storytelling. Tune in to hear the author read the prologue, in which a street boy delivers a single boot as proof that a woman may have been wrongfully taken to a lunatic asylum.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: 
✅ Why historical fiction set in the Victorian era continues to captivate readers, and how the rigid etiquette of the period creates a rich backdrop for subversive, empowering storytelling rooted in women's history.
✅ How self-publishing works in the romance novel market, including why authors must release books every one to two months to remain visible, and how Madeline Martin balanced that pace with a full-time career and family.
✅ How a real historical account of a woman wrongfully committed to a lunatic asylum became the foundation for The Secret Book Society, demonstrating how literary fiction is born from documented history.
✅ How intentional detail, including the language of flowers, hatpin fighting, and female authors of the era, can transform a novel into an immersive, layered reading experience.

Subscribe to Reenita’s Storytelling Den on Substack for free at https://substack.com/@reenitahora and to her YouTube channel to watch the video version of this episode! https://www.youtube.com/@reenymal
Check out her website to stay up-to-date on events, book releases and more! https://reenita.com/

TIMESTAMPS:  
00:00 Madeline Martin introduces The Secret Book Society and its Victorian-era setting, where women's reading was actively suppressed
02:36 Madeline shares her 20-year writing journey, from childhood storytelling to publishing over 40 historical fiction and romance novels
05:06 A candid look at self-publishing: writing six to eight books a year, managing every detail, and why independent publishing is demanding
09:56 The transition from historical romance to literary fiction, and why a hatpin played a significant role in the novel 
15:41 Madeline reads the prologue of The Secret Book Society

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 
💎 Victorian era restrictions on women's reading were not just social norms; they were enforced control. The Secret Book Society reclaims that history by centering women's empowerment through the radical, joyful act of gathering to read works by female authors.
💎 Madeline Martin's publishing path illustrates the demanding realities of self-publishing, where output volume directly determines visibility. Her shift to traditional publishing allowed her to trade quantity for quality, producing one richly researched historical fiction title per year.
💎 The most compelling literary fiction is often grounded in stranger-than-fiction historical truth. Martin's discovery of a real Victorian woman saved from an asylum by a single thrown boot proves that history, when told with heart and craft, needs very little embellishment.

ABOUT THE GUEST: 
Madeline Martin is a New York Times and international bestselling author of historical fiction and historical romance, with books translated into over 25 languages. She lives in sunny Florida with her husband (known as Mr. Awesome), two amazing daughters, and two very spoiled cats.

The Secret Book Society: A Novel – A USA Today Bestselling Historical Gothic Mystery: Martin, Madeline
Madeline Martin (@MadelineMartinAuthor) - Facebook
Madeline Martin - Instagram
Madeline Martin (@MadelineMMartin) / Posts - X
Madeline Martin - Threads

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Historical fiction meets raw human resilience in this rich conversation with award-winning author Jennifer Wright on this episode of the True Fiction Project. Jennifer’s book, Last Light Over Galveston, centers on women's empowerment during the turn of the century, following a young woman who defies her wealthy family in search of purpose, only to find herself stranded in Galveston as a monster hurricane bears down. Jennifer reveals how writing fiction based on real historical events gives readers the empathy that dry textbooks simply cannot. From her journalism roots to her life as an Air Force wife abroad, Jennifer brings an outsider's curiosity and an insider's discipline to every story she tells. Tune in to hear an excerpt of the book to when the character Kathleen arrives in Galveston, contemplating a decision as she arrives at the ocean.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: 
Why historical fiction is one of the most powerful tools for helping readers connect emotionally with real historical events, and how award-winning author Jennifer Wright uses storytelling to bring the human side of history to life in ways that journalism and textbooks simply cannot.
How women's empowerment in the early 1900s was both revolutionary and dangerous, and what it cost a young woman to walk away from wealth and family in pursuit of purpose and passion during the turn of the century.
What the research process looks like for a fiction writing project rooted in a real natural disaster, including how firsthand newspaper accounts from 1900 shaped the world of The Last Light Over Galveston.
Why the period voice of historical fiction is one of the most challenging craft elements to master, and how collaboration with a skilled editor protects the authenticity of the story.

Subscribe to Reenita’s Storytelling Den on Substack for free at https://substack.com/@reenitahora and to her YouTube channel to watch the video version of this episode! https://www.youtube.com/@reenymal

Check out her website to stay up-to-date on events, book releases and more! https://reenita.com/

TIMESTAMPS:  
00:00 Jennifer Wright, award-winning author, introduces Kathleen, a wealthy woman craving purpose beyond marriage at the turn of the century
02:27 Jennifer shares her journey from journalism to marriage to historical fiction and explains why historical storytelling can reveal the human side of history
07:30 The plot of Last Light Over Galveston unfolds: women's empowerment, family conflict, and survival during the Galveston Hurricane
10:30 Jennifer discusses the different time periods she chooses to write about and how books are marketed
15:30 Jennifer and Reenita discuss the challenge of period voice and how editors protect the authenticity of historical fiction
18:34 Jennifer Wright reads a snippet of the prologue of Last Light Over Galveston, of character Kathleen's arrival in Galveston

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 
Historical fiction has a unique power to draw readers into events they might otherwise dismiss. Jennifer Wright's work proves that when you place a fully realized human being inside a natural disaster, readers stop seeing history as a subject and start feeling it as an experience.
Jennifer Wright's creative process begins with six months of deep research into a historical event before a single word of fiction is written. Her ability to compress that into three months under a publishing contract for Last Light Over Galveston speaks to both her discipline and her instincts as a fiction writing professional.
Labeling books by age category, such as young adult or new adult, can quietly shrink an award-winning author's readership. Wright argues that a compelling protagonist transcends age and that character development should be the draw, not a marketing bracket.

ABOUT THE GUEST: 
Jennifer Wright has been writing since middle school and eventually earned a master’s degree in journalism from Indiana University. However, it took only a few short months of covering the local news to realize that writing fiction is much better for the soul–and definitely way more fun. A born-and-bred Hoosier, she was swept off her feet by an Air Force pilot and has spent the past decade traveling the world and, every few years, attempting to fit old curtains into the windows of a new home. She currently resides in New Mexico with her husband and two children.
Her debut novel, 'If It Rains,' was nominated for a Kipp Award, and her second novel, 'Come Down Somewhere,' was a 2023 Carol Award finalist. She is a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers).

Jennifer Wright - Facebook
Jennifer Wright - Instagram
Jennifer Wright - Website
Last Light over Galveston: by Wright, Jennifer L. - Amazon

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Taylor Swift biography writing takes rare skill, and Caroline Sullivan has mastered it. On the True Fiction Project, host Reenita Hora sits down with UK-based music journalist Caroline Sullivan, author of Taylor Era by Era: The Unauthorized Biography, exploring Taylor Swift's remarkable rise. Caroline shares how deep research and dry wit shape her storytelling, revealing surprising details about Taylor's music activism, her fight to reclaim her album rights from Scooter Braun, and her extraordinary bond with her mother. Tune in to hear Caroline read from the afterword of Era by Era, capturing the final emotionally charged night of the Eras Tour in Vancouver and what comes next for Taylor Swift.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: 
What an unauthorized biography actually means legally, and how a skilled music journalist like Caroline Sullivan conducts deep research without ever meeting the subject, using published sources, industry contacts, and her own expert voice to tell a compelling story about a Taylor Swift biography.
How Taylor Swift's music activism led her to spend nearly five years fighting to buy back her first six albums from Scooter Braun, ultimately reclaiming her album rights and setting a powerful precedent for artists across the music industry.
How Caroline approached the tone of Era by Era differently from other Taylor Swift books by weaving in dry British humor and personal music journalism perspective, turning dense research into a reading experience worthy of a Sunday Times bestseller.

Subscribe to Reenita’s Storytelling Den on Substack for free at https://substack.com/@reenitahora and to her YouTube channel to watch the video version of this episode! https://www.youtube.com/@reenymal
Check out her website to stay up-to-date on events, book releases and more! https://reenita.com/

TIMESTAMPS:  
00:00 Reenita opens with a bold question about unauthorized biography writing and what permissions are actually required.
02:00 Caroline Sullivan discusses her six books, including pop star profiles of Madonna, Ed Sheeran, Adele, Dua Lipa, and Taylor Swift
04:10 Deep dive into music journalism research methods and why published sources form the backbone of a music biography
06:36 The origin story of Taylor Era by Era, how the publisher approached her after her Dua Lipa book, and how it sold 50,000 copies
12:20 Discussion of Taylor Swift's music activism, her long battle to reclaim her album rights, and her influence on the broader music industry
19:00 Caroline reads from the afterword of Taylor Era by Era, covering the final night of the Eras Tour in Vancouver and Taylor's appearance at the Grammy Awards

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 
Writing a Taylor Swift biography without the subject's cooperation is entirely legal and achievable through thorough research, industry sources, and a strong authorial voice. Caroline Sullivan proves that an unauthorized biography can outsell the competition when personality and craft drive the narrative.
Taylor Swift's relentless pursuit of her album rights against Scooter Braun is one of the most significant acts of music activism in modern industry history, and one that Caroline documents with admiration throughout Taylor Era by Era, showing how Taylor uses her platform to benefit all artists.
The Eras Tour was far more than a concert series. With 149 dates, a terrorist threat in Vienna, and fans paying just to listen from behind the stage, it became a cultural phenomenon that Caroline argues marks a turning point in pop star history and in Taylor's personal legacy.

ABOUT THE GUEST: 
I'm a UK-based music journalist who writes for The Guardian and more, and have written seven books, most recently Taylor: Era by Era - an unofficial biography of Taylor Swift.

Caroline Sullivan - Facebook
Caroline Sullivan - Instagram 
X: @TheCSullivan
Taylor Era by Era: The Unauthorized Biography

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What happens when Alfred Hitchcock, Manhattan ghost stories, and a family legend collide? In this episode, debut novelist John McDermott reveals how he crafted The Last Spirits of Manhattan from a true event where Hitchcock rented his ancestor's decaying house for a celebrity-studded party. McDermott shares insights into the fiction writing process, navigating permissions for historical fiction featuring real figures, and why he added actual family ghosts to crash Hitchcock's 1956 soiree. From his publishing journey with Simon and Schuster to teaching undergraduates at Stephen F. Austin State University, McDermott offers invaluable lessons on creative writing and perseverance. Tune in to hear the chilling opening of The Last Spirits of Manhattan where Snug, a ghost trapped in the coal room, stirs as a new venture begins.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: 
How to balance historical fiction writing accuracy with poetic license when featuring real celebrities like Alfred Hitchcock, Henry Fonda, and Charles Addams as characters in your supernatural fiction.
The importance of literary research in crafting authentic period pieces, including navigating copyright permissions, advertising archives, and biographical sources when developing your novel.
Strategies for incorporating family history and personal anecdotes into creative writing, as demonstrated by McDermott's transformation of a Manhattan ghost story family legend into a publishable manuscript.
The reality of the publishing journey, including the persistence required through finding the right agent and working with major publishers like Simon and Schuster.

Subscribe to Reenita’s Storytelling Den on Substack for free at https://substack.com/@reenitahora and to her YouTube channel to watch the video version of this episode! https://www.youtube.com/@reenymal.
Check out her website to stay up-to-date on events, book releases and more! https://reenita.com/.

TIMESTAMPS:  
00:00 A story inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's 1956 party at John McDermott's great aunt's Manhattan house 
02:30 Discussion of McDermott's family roots from Wisconsin to Texas and his role at Stephen F Austin State University's creative writing program
04:48 Exploring the marriage plot as an inciting incident and how poetic license shapes historical fiction writing 
06:03 Navigating permissions and copyright issues when featuring deceased celebrities like Henry Fonda and Charles Addams in fiction
09:45 The addition of supernatural fiction elements, including family ghost stories and getting this novel published 
15:32 An excerpt from The Last Spirits of Manhattan prologue introducing the blue girl ghost who hangs out in the coal room

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 
Historical fiction success requires extensive literary research to capture authentic voices and settings, but the magic happens when authors blend documented facts with imaginative storytelling through careful poetic license.
The publishing journey for a debut novel often spans decades with multiple manuscript attempts. McDermott's 20-year persistence and four complete manuscripts before finding success with Simon and Schuster demonstrate that timing, craft improvement, and presenting the right idea to the right people all matter.
Creative writing drawn from family history creates deeply personal and compelling narratives. By weaving real family members who died from the Spanish influenza into his Manhattan ghost stories, McDermott transforms historical research into emotionally resonant supernatural fiction.

ABOUT THE GUEST: 
John A. McDermott was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. He now serves on the board of directors for the Writers’ League of Texas and teaches creative writing at Stephen F. Austin State University. Before teaching, he worked as an actor, bartender, house painter, and advertising copywriter. He lives in Nacogdoches with his wife and teenage daughter.

RESOURCES MENTIONED: 
John A McDermott - Website
John A McDermott - LinkedIn
John A McDermott - Facebook
The Last Spirits of Manhattan - Instagram
Book Shop - Website

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