Feb 23 2025 38 mins
What does it take to bring history to life on the page?
In this episode of Write it Scared, I’m sitting down with Susanne Dunlap—acclaimed historical fiction author, writing mentor, and all-around storytelling powerhouse.
Susanne’s journey is nothing short of inspiring. She went from earning a PhD in music history to publishing her first novel at 50, and now she has 14 novels to her name!
We chat about the lessons she’s learned along the way—why curiosity, persistence, and patience are essential to writing, how to handle the mountains of research that come with historical fiction, and the delicate balance between fact and storytelling.
We also get into her transition from historical fiction to historical romance (because, let’s be real, who doesn’t love a little romance with their history?)
If you’ve ever wondered how to make history feel real without drowning in research—or if you just need a reminder that it’s never too late to start your writing career—this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss!
What You’ll Learn:
✅ The key to balancing research and storytelling in historical fiction
✅ Key mindset shifts to avoid overwhelm for historical fiction writers
✅ Tips for managing research without getting stuck in extraneous details
✅ The challenges (and joys!) of transitioning to historical romance
Episode Breakdown:
00:21 – Meet Susanne Dunlap!
00:43 – Her journey from academia to author
01:43 – Lessons from her publishing experience
02:14 – Why persistence matters in writing
02:38 – The power of storytelling in historical fiction
05:13 – Why historical fiction is so captivating
07:39 – Research: How much is too much?
18:18 – Balancing historical accuracy with compelling fiction
21:12 – Challenges in writing historical fiction & how to push through
25:12 – Moving into historical romance: what changes?
28:43 – Final thoughts & what Susanne is working on now
Guest Bio and Links
Susanne Dunlap is the award-winning author of over a dozen historical novels, as well as an Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach in fiction, nonfiction, and memoir. Her love of history began in academia with a PhD in music history from Yale. Her novel THE PORTRAITIST won first prize in its category in the 2022 Eric Hoffer Book Awards, and was a finalist in the CIBA Goethe Awards and the Foreword Indies Awards. THE ADORED ONE: A NOVEL OF LILLIAN LORRAINE AND FLORENZ ZIEGFELD, won first place in its category in the 2023 CIBA Goethe Awards for Late Historical Fiction. Today, she lives, coaches, and writes in beautiful Biddeford, Maine.
Website: https://susanne-dunlap.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/susanne_dun
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