Writing history requires total accuracy, but for fiction writiers, the truth is just a springboard. The people and plot comes from the author’s creative mind. This article dips one toe into the ocean of historical fiction written about our Seacoast region and by Portsmouth-area novelists. Is historical fiction a good way to learn history? Or is the past just a backdrop to imaginary adventure? (Click to read)

The future of the past is looking up. A dizzying array of new software and high-tech gizmos are making it easier for historians like me to search, find and access information, organize and write about the past. As we enter a new decade, those tools are radically changing the way we work. (continued below)